Acts 2:1-11

“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” vs. 2

The disciples had sensed that there was more coming after Jesus’ death and resurrection, but they didn’t know what it might be. Some were likely still looking for an overthrow of the oppressive occupation, but they had no clear direction–so they waited in Jerusalem and continued to worship as in the past. And then there was an outpouring of the Spirit similar to that spoken of the prophets–it came upon them all without discrimination. Luke describes it in terms reminiscent of the opening verses of Genesis, a wind from God whose sound filled the room, and that’s what this was–it was a new creation, a baptism of the Spirit of God with purifying fire. And with the Spirit came a gift whose purpose was unmistakable–they began to speak in other languages, describing God’s deeds of power for all who were gathered there. This was no ecstatic language helpful only for themselves, this was the ability to bring the message of the Gospel to people of every folk and nation. Unfortunately the gift didn’t last–it seems to have been effective only for one occasion, but it was enough to give them a missional purpose. The good news of Jesus was for all and it was the disciples’ job to get it there, and that’s been the mission of the Church ever since, and it’s still our mission today.

Thought for the Day:  When will evangelism no longer be necessary?

John 17:7-11

“And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” vs. 11

According to the gospels there was a kind of unity among Jesus and his disciples that was of great value. He was able to send them out in his name and they did well in bringing healing to the hurting. But it wasn’t all sweetness and light! There were divisions among them, and occasional arguments–and of course there was a denial and a betrayal. Unity is tough! In John’s gospel Jesus prays that his followers would be one, in the same way that he was one with God. That has in fact, been one of the dreams of the Church all along. But if we’re thinking about unity without disputes and divisions we’re going to always be disappointed. It didn’t happen among the 12 and it certainly hasn’t happened since. Life in the Church has been contentious from the beginning. But the unity that Jesus is talking about is different. The unity that we have with him and one another is deep and inclusive. It’s rooted in love, and it happens despite our splintering tendencies. The Christ who was in the beginning and in whose image each of us was made, draws us inexorably together into a unity that preserves and protects us for all eternity. And not even we can mess it up!

Thought for the Day: When am I most likely to feel the unity of the Church?

John 17:1-6

“I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.” vs. 4

According to John, Jesus glorified God by finishing the work that he had been given to do. It’s no accident then that in John’s gospel, Jesus’ last words from the cross are, “It is finished!” He had completed his mission and was ready for whatever came next. This isn’t a bad model for those who desire to walk in his Way. We aren’t called by God to figure out ways to glorify ourselves during our time on earth, something that’s an obvious emphasis of our current cultural environment. Too many people are already following that path. What they desire more than anything else is fame and attention, glory for themselves and fortune for their families. No, our calling is related to the particular blessings we’re able to share in our everyday encounters with ordinary people. This happens at work, in neighborhoods, and in our homes every single day. In those moments the Christ in us reaches out to connect with the Christ in others and the fruits of love are magnified. We may never achieve fame or wealth but that’s not what we’ve been born for. Our vocation is all about love connections, big and small, with other children of God, wherever we meet them. And, as with Jesus, that work will never be finished until the day we die! 

Thought for the Day: Why are some folks obsessed with personal glory?

1 Peter 5:6-11

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.” vs. 6

The longer we live in this world the more likely it is that we will come to understand the virtues of humility. We just don’t have all the answers and we don’t have solutions to every problem. Some things are beyond the capacity of human minds to comprehend or figure out. Naturally, some of our more arrogant politicians seem incapable of such thinking, but that shouldn’t stop the rest of us from humbly bowing our hearts and minds before the Lord of the Universe, and acknowledging that there’s more to life than our puny concerns and desires. In the scale of time each of us gets only a brief moment in which to shine and strut our stuff, and then our day is over, and a billion more take our place. That doesn’t mean our experience of life should be disdained or diminished! Our short moments of existence are precious and holy, an incredible gift from the Creator, and those minutes and years are to be cherished above all else. And as we learn to humbly give God thanks, Peter reminds us that God has even more in store for us. One day the humble will be exalted and in the fullness of time we will be drawn into the  miraculous unity of the Christ, the one who is the beginning and the end.

Thought for the Day: What breeds arrogance in us?

1 Peter 4:12-14

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” vs 12

Believers are regularly promised in the New Testament writings that they should not be surprised when suffering came their way. Times were different and persecutions came sporadically but inevitably to people of faith. They are told by their leaders that they should regard these ordeals as a test of their faith and an opportunity to identify with the sufferings that Jesus endured. We are fortunate not to live in such times, but that doesn’t mean we are immune to testing. Many of us haven’t been able to gather for in-person worship for months, and some are growing weary of the forced solitude. The loneliness that is endemic in our fast-paced world is becoming more intense and it’s been hard for congregational leaders to know how to respond. Staff members have been let go, while youth and music ministries have pretty much ground to a halt. Many congregations have applied for government assistance–something they’d never even thought of in years past. The challenges are enormous, and because of the nature of COVID-19, it seems that life in our churches will not return to normal for many months. The good news is that with the struggle will come endurance. Already the Spirit is at work among us, new models for ministry are emerging, and the Church of Christ will be stronger than ever! We can count on it!

Thought for the Day: How is the present crisis making the church stronger?

Psalm 68:32-35

“Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah” vs. 32

The word “selah” occurs 71 times in the psalms, always at the end of a verse, and no one knows what it means! Oh, some scholars have made guesses. Many say it is some sort of a liturgical direction that was used in temple worship, perhaps signaling a pause, but no one really knows for sure. Undoubtedly, at one time, when the psalms were being used regularly in the temple liturgy, everyone knew, but through the years, divorced from its context, the word lost its meaning. Of course, selah isn’t the only word in the Hebrew bible whose meaning has been lost. It’s actually quite common for translators to have to guess at the meanings of words, especially when they are rarely used. That’s how it is with words, new ones are born while others become archaic–and that’s even the way it works with the way we express our faith. Sometimes beliefs we have grown up with become obsolete, and we’re hard-pressed to make the transition. What we were so certain of in our youth is called into question, and we may even begin to wonder if there are any eternal values. It’s one thing for technology to change but shouldn’t biblical truths stay the same forever? When those disconcerting questions fill our minds it’s good to remember that God doesn’t change. Definitions and theologies are continually evolving, they’re all human made, but the Divine Presence is immutable. God will be God forever!

Thought for the Day: What ideas have I discarded as I grew older?

Psalm 68:1-10

“Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—his name is the Lord— be exultant before him.” vs. 4

When our ancient ancestors watched the clouds roll across the sky they sometimes imagined them as chariots of the Lord, the God of the storms who had the power to vanquish hated enemies and provide relief for the oppressed. It’s an impressive image–in all of the natural world there’s no greater display of power and might than in the towering clouds, the winds, and the lightning of a massive thunderstorm. Of course, most of us have a more expansive view of God than did the psalmist–we certainly have a more scientific understanding of storms and weather events. While God can be observed in the wonders of nature, we know that God is bigger than that. We’ve come to know God as the Divine Presence which permeates all that exists, and that is even present in every person. But even though our perception of God has changed, it’s still appropriate for us to lift up songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. Some of us make it a practice to get out-of-doors each day. That’s a perfect time for us to take a look around and exult in the wonders of mesquites, grackles, and the beautiful bougainvillea. We might even catch a glimpse of a chariot drifting across the blue of the sky and be reminded that God is in charge–and breathe a song of thanks.

Thought for the Day: In what setting am I moved to praise God?

Acts 1:6-14

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” vs. 8

Many people have given up trying to understand the ascension of Jesus in a literal way. It doesn’t make any sense to their logical scientific minds. But for Luke it has enormous significance as a transition point between the ministry of Jesus and the mission of the Christ. It was a way for him to describe in concrete and physical terms the transformation of power that had taken place in the world. After the resurrection, “something” had happened. The Risen Jesus was loose in the universe. The earth could no longer contain him! From now on the power of God was not confined but would be distributed among the disciples and used to bring the good news of life, love, and forgiveness to the ends of the earth. Rather than get hung up with Luke’s image, how much better it is to use this Ascension week to celebrate this incredible, impossible mission that has now passed to us. Even though the gospel has been heard in every part of the world, there’s much to be done. Our work is plain! We are to continue as witnesses with every breath, word, and deed…all the while knowing that the power of the Holy Spirit is in us and with us. We cannot fail!

Thought for the Day: How’s my witnessing going?

John 14:18-21

“They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” vs. 21

John’s powerful and affirming words of love in this portion of his gospel have lifted the hearts of Christians for centuries. It just feels so good to know that Christ dwells in us and that love is the ultimate mark of God’s presence in our lives. These are words to share with those who feel unloved and disconnected from God. This is the good news of the gospel. Unfortunately believers have also used these words as a hammer and a wedge in their dealings with the world. They’ve given these words of love a wooden interpretation and tell the broken that God’s love is contingent on their behavior. “Unless you obey the commandments of scripture,” they say, “you will not be loved by the Father, and you will never know the Christ.” And then they proceed to outline all the rules of proper Christian behavior, and imply that obedience is the first step in any relationship with God. The reasoning is logical and airtight and has enabled the establishment of any number of exclusive faith communities. What they fail to consider is that our response to God is not the first step in the relationship. Everything begins with God’s universal love–and there are no strings attached. And where Jesus is concerned, there is only one commandment, that we love one another, for it is in loving that we know God.

Thought for the Day: What part does obedience play in the Christ life?

John 14:15-17

“This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” vs. 17

Spirit talk is almost always mysterious–it’s the language we use when we try to describe the everyday nearness of God, and that’s close to an impossible task. Some people, many people maybe, never seem to get what we’re saying and sometimes we can even confuse ourselves. John gets at that difficulty as he mentions the connection between loving Jesus and receiving the Spirit of Truth. The world, which has been created and loved by God, doesn’t get it, not because the Spirit is so far from them, but because the world can’t recognize what’s already in the world. Only when love begins to flow from within do we see and know the internal source of love that is already in us. The promise is clear. The Spirit of Truth abides in us now, and will be in us forever. There will never be a time when the Spirit is absent from us–oh, there will be times when it feels like that, but those moments are only an aberration, and happen precisely at those times when we imagine the absence of love. The Spirit is of course Christ, the One who is Truth, Way, and Life, and who is our partner in loving–and Christ is in us always.

Thought for the Day: What does the absence of love feel like?