Matthew 5:13-16

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” vs. 16

In many baptismal rituals the first words that the baptized hears after the laying on of hands are these: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see you good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” In those words from Jesus we see an affirmation of the indwelling Light, the very image of God, that is ours by birth. The Light of the Universe that exploded into existence in the creation resides in every single one of us, a part of the residue of the Big Bang! Jesus tells us to let that light shine through our good works so that others may see that Christ dwells in us. Sadly, for too many, that just doesn’t happen. For one reason or another, perhaps related to the absence of love, the light is obscured. People prefer to live in darkness, and their goodness is hidden. There’s not a lot of glory in that kind of living! What a blessing it is then when the Spirit of God wipes away the film of sin and the light is exposed for all to see! It can happen to anyone at any time. A person in whom all we’ve seen is darkness is enlightened, and what had been hidden is made visible. For some those moments are rare, but when they come it’s always a miracle of cleansing and rebirth. Glory be to God!

Thought for the Day: What obscures the Light in me?

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

Whenever we try to wrap our heads around the gospel it doesn’t take long to discover that there is a great mystery involved. What may have seemed simple at one point in our lives is actually deeper than we had ever imagined. It’s not that the message is enormously complicated–Paul simplifies it to just a few words, “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” But beyond that thought there is mystery–Paul calls it “God’s wisdom, secret and hidden.” From what he writes in other places we can surmise that this mystery has to do with the Christ, what the gospel writer, John, calls the Word, who was God in the beginning, and through whom the entire universe came into being. It’s this Christ, pulsating and brimming with the energy of the Spirit, who was fully present in Jesus, who died and was resurrected, and in whom all people have salvation. Christ was in Jesus and now we are in Christ–we are Christ’s presence in the world. And it even gets better than that! Not only are we in Christ, the same Christ who was in Jesus is present in us! The Christ is the image of God in whom we have our very being! The Christ is the Light of our lives, the very presence of the Divine! If this is hard to grasp, don’t worry about it! It’s not a truth to be understood, it’s one to be lived!

Thought for the Day: How can I live what I can’t understand?

1 Corinthians 2:1-4

“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

For Paul, the whole gospel revolves around Jesus Christ–beyond that central focus, everything else he expounds on in his letters is commentary. He really didn’t have to say anything else. Many among us like this emphasis. We’ve gotten used to identifying ourselves as followers of Jesus and not as members of a particular denomination. “Jesus only” is our theme and “What would Jesus do” is our guide for daily living. Of course there’s a danger in that kind of thinking. The historical figure of Jesus can be manipulated to be a kind of projection of our own dreams and convictions. In other words, we create our Jesus in our own image! That’s why it’s important for us to take a longer look at what Paul says. For him it was never Jesus only, it was “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Unless our Jesus is the Christ of God, and hanging on the cross, the center of our gospel is going to be distorted. Without that focus our Jesus can lapse into a kind of superman, a hero figure who bears little resemblance to the humble Spirit-filled Galilean who suffered and died. Jesus is not a superman–he is an ordinary human in whom the Christ was incarnate, and by his death and resurrection the entire universe is restored. It’s a simple message–and a profound mystery. 

Thought for the Day: What difference does it make to say that Jesus is the Christ?

Psalm 112:1-7

“Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments…Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.” vss. 1, 3

Our scriptures offer a broad range of perspectives on the God-pleasing life and the blessings that come to the faithful. Often we’re told that riches are deceptive and that the treasures of this world are ephemeral and dangerous. We’re used to hearing sermons about the dangers of wealth and the temptations related to accumulation. We know that those warnings are true, but this psalmist reminds us that there is also another way to look at wealth and riches. He believes that there are material rewards for those who fear the Lord and who delight in the commandments of the law. Most of us resonate with that reasoning–we also believe that the blessings of God will include money and possessions. We take pleasure in our things and enjoy being surrounded by material comforts. And it seems to be true that those who faithfully live according to God’s precepts will also have all they need for a comfortable life. Certainly we will regularly take time to thank God for those blessings–and also be generous in our sharing. But we’ll also be aware of wealth’s pitfalls! Blessings can easily turn into curses when riches become our center. True wisdom is knowing the point at which our possessions have begun to possess us. Once that line is crossed, our souls are quickly corrupted.

Thought for the Day: What material comforts do I enjoy the most?

Isaiah 58:3-9a

“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

We humans are drawn to the trappings of religion and the intricate rituals that have become interwoven with our worship. We decorate our altars and sanctuaries with fine linens, valuable chalices, and beautiful paraments of many colors. Week after week we say the words and sing the songs and imagine that we are pleasing God. Sometimes we even engage in periodic fasting and meditation. If Isaiah is right the Lord of the Universe is not interested in such things. It’s only the gods of our own creation that are mollified and pleased with our posturing and personal piety. Isaiah tells us that the One God is all about freedom and justice, and providing for the poor and the hungry–and that’s it! Sometimes it’s hard to hear such words from the prophet because we really do enjoy the Sunday morning worship experience. Some would even say that this is where they have their spiritual highs for the week. And there are blessings that come to us through our rituals and traditional practices–that’s not to be doubted. But the moment we get infatuated with our fine words and clever theologies it would be good for us to take pause and be reminded about those things that are really important. Worship is pointless unless it results in renewed dedication to doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God. 

Thought for the Day: If doing justice is most important, why should we even worship?

Isaiah 58:1-2

“Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.” vs. 2

The nation of Israel believed that they had a special relationship with the Lord. There was a whole tribe dedicated to the care of the temple and they were meticulous about offering the proper sacrifices. They were religious to the core! But the prophet believed that the nation was only fooling itself–the people didn’t even come close to doing the things that really pleased God. Sometimes we see that kind of hypocrisy in the United States. We label our money, “In God We Trust,” and then revere those who have made money their god. Our pledge of allegiance claims that we are “one nation, under God…with liberty and justice for all,” while many question just how inclusive that liberty and justice really is. It’s hard for many to hear such criticisms–for them loyalty to God and country are one and the same. But we can’t read scripture and not realize that our public piety is only skin deep–we don’t even come close to being a holy nation. Thank God for the millions of Jesus people whose thousands of congregations are dedicated to being the presence of Christ in this land. It is them and not the pious, posturing politicians who make this country a blessing to the world.

Thought for the Day: Why do some claim the U. S. is a Christian nation?

Matthew 5:7-12

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” vs. 9

Jesus tells us here that peacemakers get a special blessing in that they will be called children of God. We can infer from that designation that those who work for peace have a special connection to God and are a reflection of God’s being. It seems right then that there is an annual Nobel Peace Prize awarded to some individual or group that has done exemplary work in making this world a more peaceful place. Sadly though, most of society’s accolades are reserved, not for peacemakers, but for warriors. Most countries spend an inordinate amount of time and energy in the development of more powerful weapons. Some actively promote acts of terror and military campaigns. Every year trillions of dollars are spent in waging war and building national defenses. That seems to be the major part of every national budget–and it’s something that most political parties agree on. It would seem that peacemaking just hasn’t caught on in the way that Jesus had hoped. In fact, sometimes it’s his followers who are most excited about going to war and killing enemies. It seems such a shame that we waste our time on such pointless pursuits. Some say that in our world the only way to have peace is by having more bombs and guns–that “mutually assured destruction” is the only deterrent to reckless aggression. One wonders what Jesus would make of that!

Thought for the Day: Who are the peacemakers in our world?

Matthew 5:1-6

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them…” vss. 1-2a

As Matthew put together his story of Jesus he made use of multiple resources, some written and some oral, and always he shows his appreciation for the Hebrew scriptures. He wants his readers, who were probably Jews, to be reminded of Moses as they read his account. Accordingly, he tells the story of Jesus’ sojourn in Egypt in his childhood. Like Moses, Jesus had come out of Egypt to be a leader for his people and now as he begins his ministry in Galilee, he goes to a mountain (like Sinai) to deliver his first major address. When he sat down to teach, as was the custom for rabbis, his disciples gathered around him and he spoke from his heart. It’s here that the similarity with Moses ends, for Jesus doesn’t bring law for the crowds. He announces blessings and not a new set of commandments. His beatitudes are descriptive and not proscriptive, they bring affirmation and not regulations. Matthew’s report of what Jesus said that day on the mountain remains one of the most powerful and all-encompassing descriptions of the Christ-life that can be found. Leaders like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. have been profoundly impacted. Again, it’s not a set of rules but a description of a life well-lived, and if it’s the only sermon we ever hear, it will have been enough!

Thought for the Day: What words from the Sermon on the Mount have touched me most deeply?

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

“He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” vs. 30

Paul reminds the Corinthians that by the world’s standards, most of them were pretty unremarkable, and that’s how it has continued to be for the people of God.

We are, for the most part, pretty ordinary folks, and yet we have an extraordinary calling to be the presence of Christ in the world. We don’t have to be the strongest or fastest, the smartest or the prettiest, to be the hands and feet of God in doing the work of love and restoration. We don’t even have to call on our own resources to make an impact for good. In Christ Jesus, we are the wisdom of God, and in Christ we find our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. What a blessing it is to simply be ourselves as God has created us, and not have anything to prove! We probably don’t have the gifts that others do, we come from different backgrounds with different traditions and values. And we don’t ever have to be more than what we are! As we are, God uses us to touch the lives of other ordinary people, some of them hurting and lonely, all of them hungry for love. Sometimes we wonder what our purpose is in life–and that’s the wrong question! Christ is the one with a mission in this world, and all we need to do is relax and lean into Christ’s love.

Thought for the Day: What does it mean to “boast in the Lord”?

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

“For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles…” vss. 22-23

For many decades the followers of Jesus struggled to put together a coherent testimony for what they had experienced. They were agreed that Jesus was the messiah, but their message didn’t make any sense to outsiders. The expectation had been that the messiah would be a triumphant, regal figure, one who would rally the masses and restore the kingdom to Israel. But Jesus had been crucified! His enemies had him arrested, put him on trial, and executed him as a common criminal. To call him the messiah seemed absurd, but that’s what Paul continued to do. For him this radical message had power and proclaimed God’s love in an unparalleled and profound fashion. For some the message was a stumbling block, for others it was foolishness, but in Paul’ estimation the cross was the real power of the gospel. We continue to struggle with the crucified Christ–some Christians have chosen to de-emphasize it in their proclamation. Some have gone so far as to remove crosses from their worship spaces–they say it reminds them of suffering and death and isn’t uplifting. But somehow, Christianity without the cross loses its impact. It’s the Christ who died that connects with our suffering and pain. God is with us in our dying. In the cross we are reminded that only the dead can be resurrected. 

Thought for the Day: How do I make sense of the crucified Christ?