1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” vss. 16-18

Some of us wonder about the will of God in our lives, just what it is that God wants us to do or be, and in those moments our minds go wild with various possibilities. Perhaps we should change jobs or careers, or volunteer for a mission service project, something more in line with what we imagine Christians ought to be doing. Now it could be that any of those things are in store for us, we can after all use our gifts and talents in a variety of ways, but what God has in mind for us is more basic than that. Paul nails it in his closing paragraphs to the folks at Thessalonica, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances!” Those words are precisely what we need to hear as we begin closing in on Christmas this year. Following Jesus is not so much about jobs and projects as it is about our basic attitude in the tough times of life. Instead of complaining, pointing fingers, and assessing blame, we are to rejoice, give thanks, and pray, not just in the morning or evening, but all the time. Is this even possible? Of course it is! We all know people who live this way and they are a delight to be around, and if they can do it, so can we! And the world will be blessed for it!

Thought for the Day: Who do I know who lives like this?

1 Thessalonians 5:6-15

“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” vs. 11

As we move through these shortening days of December, in reality time seems to be stretching out. We’re tired of travel restrictions and bothered by the continued spread of the virus in our country. So many have been worn down by the isolation and daily conflicting reports about vaccines and quarantine. And since we can’t seem to get words of encouragement from pundits and politicians we’re really in the mood for the quiet affirmations that we can get from fellow believers. That was Paul’s wish in this final section of his letter to the Thessalonians. They had been led to believe that it wouldn’t be long before Christ returned, but now the years were passing and they were hard-pressed to know what to do. Paul told them to remain faithful and to provide mutual encouragement, just as they had done in the past. It’s solid advice in any age–and we need it now particularly. Patience isn’t a long suit for many and it could be that our nerves are beginning to fray as we prepare for a Christmas, the likes of which we’ve never experienced before. Even in the best of times we need a circle of friends to pick us up when times are tough–and in these days we need that encouragement even more. And it does come! It’s one of the blessings of living in Christ!

Thought for the Day: Who can I encourage today?

Psalm 126

“Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.” vs. 6

It’s hard to know sometimes just what it is that triggers the growth of the spiritual fruits that have been sown in our hearts by our Creator. The psalmist has a suggestion that may bear some consideration. He links weeping to the whole cycle of planting and harvesting, and the connection is intriguing. We learn from our environment that “big boys don’t cry” and that tears are a sign of weakness, but it just might be that our learned reluctance to show emotion is a primary cause for our barren lifescapes. Perhaps our tears are the water of life that our spiritual gardens need to blossom and flourish! We already know that our strongest connections with hurting people are made on the basis of our common suffering and that when we reveal our pain to others we open the door to love. If this is true, and experience tells us that it is, then our much admired stoicism in the face of suffering does no one any favors. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” And more than that, those who mourn also become blessings to all they encounter, as their tears trigger the production of abundant and joy-filled love! As the psalmist has put it, those who go out weeping shall return with shouts of great joy!

Thought for the Day: What good has come of my weeping?

Isaiah 61:8-11

“For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.” vs. 11

For years believers have confessed in worship, “We are by nature sinful and unclean,” not realizing what an affront that statement is to our Creator. Do we really believe that the Lord of the Universe created us to be naturally sinful? Of course we can find verses in scripture that affirm such a notion, but the overriding testimony of Genesis paints a different picture. “And the Lord God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good!” We bear in our DNA the image of our Maker, and have been created to bring goodness and righteousness to the world, and THAT is our natural inclination, and not sin. Of course we recognize that we do behave poorly and regularly fall away from our calling, but that does not negate the potential for beauty and love that has been sown in every human heart. Sustained by the unremitting and unconditional forgiveness that is ours through Christ Jesus, we are the source of goodness for the nations. It is said that “an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” and that is certainly true for the children of God. The seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and gentleness have been sown in our hearts, and by the power of the Holy Spirit we can and do produce incredible fruit.

Thought for the Day: When am I at my best?

Isaiah 61:1-4

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,  the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;” vs. 1

At times there seems to be confusion about the mission of the Church and what it is that followers of Jesus are called to be about in our world. We tend to overthink our doctrinal positions and obsess about rituals and liturgies, and, in the process, forget our core values. And this passage from Isaiah calls us back to basics. When Jesus had been anointed in baptism and filled with the Holy Spirit and then went into the wilderness to reflect on his mission, he adopted these words as his mission statement. He believed that he had been sent “to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.” If we’re the least bit interested in walking in the Way of Jesus we need look no further to find our marching orders. We have been gifted with a message of deep and profound grace, a healing proclamation from God designed to lift burdens of guilt and bring hope to the broken-hearted. The freedom that is implicit in the good news shatters every kind of bondage and opens the way to rich and fruitful living. And it’s our calling to share that message! Praise God for our incredible privilege!

Thought for the Day: How will I share the good news today?

Mark 1: 5-8

“I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” vs. 8

Both Jesus and John were significant figures in Roman occupied Judea. Both had a powerful message and each of them gathered a sizable following of disciples. But they were different too, and Mark accents that difference in his account of Jesus’ life. John’s baptism was for his followers a sign of repentance, a declaration that they were changing their lives for good. But Jesus didn’t baptize. He too asked for change. In fact his message was virtually identical to John’s, “Repent, and believe in the good news.” But Jesus added a Divine connection, he immersed his followers with the Holy Spirit, and that difference is enormous. With Jesus the focus shifted from what we are able to do on our own to what we are able to do when empowered with God’s presence. On our own repentance or change is difficult, if not impossible. But when the Holy Spirit of God is at work in us, we are transformed from the inside out. On our own we are powerless, but when equipped by the Spirit, all things become possible. And it happens not by our own understanding or effort but by the sheer gift of God’s grace and the wonderful working of God’s Spirit. Baptism by water is a good thing, a wonderful way to connect our faith with God’s grace, but the world is changed when we are immersed with God’s Spirit.

Thought for the Day: What are the signs of Spirit baptism?

Mark 1:1-4

“John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” vs 4

The people were ready for John when he appeared in the wilderness with his radical message. They were tired of the Roman occupation, fed up with the corruption of the religious leaders, sick of hopeless living, and ready for a fresh start. So they flocked to him by the Jordan, listened to his transforming challenges, and waded into the water by the hundreds to be baptized as a sign of their repentance and their intention to lead changed lives. Many of us are familiar with such experiences–we face them regularly in the course of our lives. We wonder about the trajectory of our journeys, where we are going and whether we’re accomplishing anything useful on the way. Sometimes we are angry and blame others–occasionally we’re bored and tired of the “same old same old.” John advised change. “Repent,” he told the crowds, “get yourselves turned around and head in a new direction.” Of course that’s easier said than done. Even when we’re unhappy with our situations, there’s comfort in the ruts of routine, and self-directed change is enormously difficult. But John comes like clockwork every Advent for our annual review. Rather than allowing us to get comfortable in our discipleship, he encourages introspection and challenges assumptions. “Take a hard look,” he says, “and if you don’t like what you see, change!”

Thought for the Day: What is my annual review telling me?

2 Peter 3:8-15a

“But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.” vs. 13

Early believers were confident that God wasn’t done with this world after the death and resurrection of Jesus. They believed that there would be a total overhaul, a new creation, and that God’s righteousness would reign. It’s not that this world is so bad! After all the fingerprints of God are all over it, and in it we experience every kind of joy and goodness. It’s just that God isn’t done with it yet–and something more spectacular is yet to come. Each one of us has a sense of what that could mean. We’ve been created in the image of God and have been gifted in marvelous ways. Life is good for us in this world. We have loving relationships and boundless opportunities to explore and excel. Yet there is within us a sense that God isn’t done with us yet, that through the Holy Spirit we can be even more of what God intends for us to be. That feeling of incompleteness is important in our lives. With it we keep on striving, we keep on reaching for the stars–it’s because of that feeling that some have been able to accomplish so much. With that hope at the core of our being, individually and collectively, we continue to believe that the best is yet to come. And in God’s re-creation there’ll be a spectacular completion for ourselves and for humanity.

Thought for the Day:  What will the new me be like?

Psalm 85:10-13

“Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.” vs. 10

The psalmist paints a beautiful picture of the relationship between the Lord and the faithful. In his eyes we are like lovers, God’s love flows into our lives and is greeted by our deep and complete trust. God’s arms enfold us with deep tenderness, and we snuggle in with contentment, knowing that in God we are forgiven, and will never ever be rejected, even if we should wander away. And more than that, he says, righteousness and peace will kiss each other. That’s God’s righteousness, not ours. On our own we cannot claim a place in God’s arms, but God makes us holy, and breathes into us a spirit of peace. It really is a match made in heaven, better than any romantic notion of love that we could possibly conjure up. The psalmist’s vision reminds us of the peace exchange that is central to many of our worship services. Having confessed our sins and having been assured by the pastor that the peace of God is with us, we turn to one another and offer our own personal sign of peace, occasionally a kiss, but more often a hug or handshake–or maybe in post-COVID days, a gentle fist-bump! Advent is a wonderful time for us to tend to our love relationship with God. It’s so easy to drift away, especially when in-person worship is becoming a distant memory. “Return to the Lord,” we sing during Lent–it’s not a bad tune in these times too. 

Thought for the Day: How do I experience the love of God?

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-9

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” vs. 8

Not everyone gets excited about Advent, especially not since it’s been swallowed up by the cultural expansion of Christmas. There may be occasional references to Advent calendars or Advent wreaths, but most folks put their energy into decorating, entertaining, and buying. And that’s true even for those who have no faith in any God! But some do like to take time before Christmas for reflection and consideration of spiritual matters. They enjoy quiet Advent moments set aside for prayer and meditation, for simply listening for God’s voice in the middle of chaos, apprehension, and fear. Such believers have learned to turn again and again to their Lord in their hearts, and God never lets them down. From the beginning of time the faithful have heard words of forgiveness in those moments, words of peace that have a calming effect on their spirits. Even though we can’t prove God to the skeptics and the preoccupied, those who trust in God’s presence feel inside the calming serenity that is God’s intention for all people. It’s a kind of peace that oozes out into our daily living and our encounters with others, and it’s especially welcome during this frenzied time of the year. We can even say that it’s our God’s special Advent gift!

Thought for the Day: When am I most likely to feel peace of mind?