Isaiah 51:4-6

“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.” vs. 6

The people of the prophet’s day worried about their continuing existence and the prophet affirms their concerns. The heavens will vanish and the earth will wear out. We live in a time when similar concerns plague our hearts and minds. We worry about the future and what life will be like for our grandchildren. Climate scientists are telling us that the increase in average temperatures over the last decades is cause for alarm. Global warming has become a reality and the projected additional two or three degree increase will have catastrophic results in many areas of the world, particularly for the poor and for those who live in the coastlands. At the present time, even though the signs of the looming disaster are undeniable, there is little inclination to do anything about it. And some simply say there’s nothing to be done–it’s just a part of the natural cycle of cooling and warming. For most though, it’s a scary time–and we worry about the future of this old earth. The prophet reminds us that God’s salvation can never be lost, and that there will be deliverance. Right now, it’s hard to imagine what that might be like, but it is a promise worth hanging on to!

Thought for the Day: What hope is there for the earth?

Isaiah 51:1-3

“Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.” vs. 1

Each of us have a history and if we look back to the beginning years of our individual timelines we will see the framework in which we began to learn decency, the kind of righteousness that is the starting point for life in community. For many of us that foundation began with lessons learned at our parents’ knees, and perhaps included scoldings and possible spankings that were intended to set us on the straight and narrow. Even if we later rejected parental teachings or headed off in new directions, those early experiences set the stage for whatever came after. At best, the instructions served as law in our lives, and when delivered with love, shaped all that followed. Here is where we learned morality, respect for our elders, and the importance of truth-telling. Because times change and our world is far different from that in which our parents received their charter, we tend to discount their role in shaping who we are. We have new convictions and have discarded old notions–we see clearly their foibles and misguided beliefs. But we would never have become who we are apart from them–in truth, they were the rocks from which we were hewn, and we owe them a great debt.

Thought for the Day: The most important thing I learned from my parents.

Matthew 15:25-28

“Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.” vs. 28

Ironies abound as Jesus continues his ministry to the scattered Jews of the Gentile world. Matthew has carefully recounted the disciples’ melt-down on the Sea of Galilee where they are chastised for their miniscule faith convictions. Not only did Peter get scolded, the whole boatload got an earful from Jesus. And in the very next section of his gospel Matthew tells the story of the Canaanite woman. She comes to Jesus in desperation, ignores the taunts of the disciples, and counters Jesus’ put-down with a remarkable statement of faith. “I may be a dog,” she says to Jesus, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Jesus is impressed with her great faith–and her daughter was healed. Twelve proud religious Jewish men are the puny-faithed-folks. One much maligned, out-sider, woman is the great-faith-exemplar! It’s an absolutely stunning and rich story, one that rings true to every follower of Jesus down to the present. We’ve all seen it. Pious, pew-sitting Christians panic in the face of adversity, while people barely on the fringes of respectable society live totally by faith. Their trust, in spite of their circumstances, is complete–and God sustains them! God alone is their refuge and strength–not status, not wealth, not respectability–and God hears their prayers and they find strength in their weakness.

Thought for the Day: Who has surprised me with their faith?

Matthew 15:21-54

“But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’” vs. 23

The Jews of Galilee had been scattered through the years and by the time Jesus began his ministry some were living in what were considered Gentile areas. Naturally as Jesus was doing his preaching and healing he searched out those pockets of Jews that they too might be able to hear the good news of the Kingdom of God. That he ignored the Canaanite woman who came in search of healing for her daughter should not surprise us. We do the same when we encounter panhandlers on our city streets. It certainly didn’t surprise the disciples–in fact they urged him to get aggressive with her–she was becoming a nuisance. Again, we can identify. We really don’t like it when we’re besieged by aid seekers–it’s a pain to get all those letters from St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital–they seem to come every other day! As followers of Jesus we tend to define our ministry in the narrowest terms–we do it to maintain our sanity in a world filled with needy people. Even Jesus seems to have had a narrow focus as he began his work! Of course, as we do that, we always should remember that God can surprise us. Mission opportunities turn up in unexpected places–and they can change everything. God surprises us! It happened to Jesus, and it can surely happen to us.

Thought for the Day: How do I react to in-your-face appeals for help?

Romans 11:29-32

“for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” vs. 29

Paul was explaining to his Roman readers that the disobedience of the Jews had not separated them from the love of God. Just as Gentiles, in spite of their disobedience, had been shown the mercies of God, so it was with the Jews. His careful arguments to that effect are likely not of much interest to us, but his conclusions bring a mind-boggling word of grace some twenty centuries later. Just think of it: “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” There is nothing we can do to get out of the mission that God has given us in Christ Jesus. No matter how we’ve lived, or how far away from the church we may have strayed, God’s abundant love and forgiveness is still ours. The cleansing power of the waters of baptism can never be taken away. All the gifts that the Holy Spirit has stored up for us still belong to us–they remain an integral part of our portfolios in spite of the ups and downs of daily living. They are a constant, and are always at our disposal. If we’ve lost touch with God, or somehow feel disconnected from Jesus, we can begin the relationship again at any moment and in any circumstance. The Christ who dwells within every one of us is ready, willing, and able to shine light and show love–and does so regularly even in spite of ourselves. We are so blessed–and it’s all grace!

Thought for the Day: How can a person be discharged from God’s service?

Romans 11:1-2a

“God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” vs. 2a

In those all-too-frequent times when Christians have embraced an anti-Semetic stance and done all kinds of horrendous things to Jews, they have excused their own behavior by saying, “Well, they rejected Jesus,” implying that Jews deserve to be persecuted. Of course, that’s despicable logic and it does nothing to excuse the centuries of torment and abuse. What such positions do reveal is the abysmal ignorance of Christians and their absolute failure to understand the grace of God as revealed through Christ Jesus. Paul spells it out so plainly in his letter to the Romans. God has not rejected the Jews–in fact God has loved them from the beginning. Even if they had rejected Jesus, there would be no way in the world that God would ever reject them! That’s the kind of amazing God that we love and serve. God is not like us, carrying grudges and looking for ways to get even with folks who do us wrong. God doesn’t give two hoots about our theologies and carefully crafted doctrinal statements. We might consider them helpful and it is possible that they could enhance our understanding and knowledge, but unless they lead us to love others more completely, they’re a complete waste of time. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, and the greatest of these is love.” 

Thought for the Day: What kind of people do I regularly reject?

Psalm 67:4-7

“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.” vss. 6-7

Demographers estimate that there are now 7.8 billion people in the world, a marked increase from the 1 billion who populated our planet just 200 years ago. One reason for the rapid growth has been agricultural development. At one time it was believed that the world would run out of food. That hasn’t happened, and with the exception of places plagued by drought, wars, and the changing climate, there is no lack of food in the world. The earth has yielded its increase, and as the psalmist wrote, “God, our God, has blessed us.” Some among us would disagree and say that our bounty is strictly the result of human hard work and ingenuity. In their words, “You think this land is fruitful? You should have seen it before we invented fertilizers and genetically modified seeds!” That’s always been our biggest temptation–we love to move God out of the picture and take all the credit for prosperity. People of faith heartily disagree. While it is true that there has been massive innovation and inventiveness in nearly every arena of human endeavor, we’ve never been able to make anything out of nothing. All we’ve done is develop resources that have been present from the beginning–and if we’re smart we won’t let a week go by without saying, “Thanks be to God!”

Thought for the Day: What are the limits of human population growth?

Psalm 67:1-3

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.” vss. 1-2

The psalmist makes reference to the Aaronic benediction in his hymn of praise. That brief blessing has been a favorite of God’s people from the beginning, and it continues to bring joy as we hear it in worship now. It comes at the end of the service, and summarizes the full magnificence of God’s grace and love. The overwhelming desire of our scripture is that God’s blessings would multiply in our lives and that we would regularly experience God’s smiling face–and that’s the prayer of this benediction. But the psalmist goes on to say that this precious gift isn’t just for us. Rather, our lives are filled to the brim with joy so that others may know the love and the power of God. In other words, they can begin to know God by observing what God has done in our lives. Jesus put it this way, “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works, and give glory to God.” That’s why the faithful are so careful to deflect praise away from themselves in favor of the One they serve. J. S. Bach was careful to write “To God be the Glory” at the end of his cantatas. A humble man, he wanted his listeners to know where the praise should be directed.

Thought for the Day: How do I deflect praise?

Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

“Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.” vs. 8

As the religion of Judaism developed through the centuries the rabbis debated at length about Israel’s place in the world. Some wanted a closed system, but others, inspired by the prophet Isaiah, understood that ultimately the house of God would become a house for all nations. What had happened for the people of Israel was only a beginning and one day all would feast at the table of the Lord. Later on, as the Church of Christ was established in communities all around the Mediterranean this belief was the impetus for proclamation and outreach. Early Christians believed that the gospel of forgiveness and hope was for all people and some gave their lives to spread the word. Because of their work, today the number of people calling themselves Christian is over a billion and followers of Jesus live in every part of the globe. But it’s not a monolithic presence! We live shoulder to shoulder with people of other religions, believers with very different faith practices, and we struggle at times with our relationships. The temptation is to battle it out and try to win them over to our point of view–but that just doesn’t seem to work. It’s far better to follow the prophet and see them as fellow children of one God, and our brothers and sisters at one common table.

Thought for the Day: When should we try to convert someone to Christianity?

Matthew 14:28-33

“But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” vs. 30

Our liberal, literal minds are often challenged by the miracle stories in the gospels and we struggle to find satisfactory explanations. Most days we have an easier time with the healings–after all that’s one of the things Jesus did, and many people through history have been known as healers. But walking on water is a different matter–it seems more like “showing off” than actually fulfilling a purpose. And it’s not the sort of thing that can be replicated–we might joke about being able to walk on water, but no one ever really does it. And because that’s always been true, our tendency is to discount Matthew’s story. But when we do that we miss the point! This account really isn’t about walking on water, it’s about faith–and understood from that perspective everyone of us can identify. We’ve all been where Peter found himself, doing something we never dreamed possible, and in an instant, fear grips us, and we begin to sink. What has happened? Well, we’ve lost our faith in ourselves! Peter stopped believing he could walk on water–he didn’t stop trusting in Jesus. In fact, the moment he started to sink he reached out to Jesus for help! And so it is for us! When faith in our own abilities falters, we are never left alone–there’s power for us in the reaching hand of Jesus–and the journey continues.

Thought for the Day: When are times that I have lost faith in myself?