Acts 10:34-38

“Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” vss. 34-35

In Peter’s world it had been unlawful for a Jew to associate with Gentiles, and he had scrupulously avoided them for all of his life. And then everything changed! First there had been a vision of unclean foods, and then a voice, “Get up, Peter, and eat!” As he wondered about the vision, an invitation came from Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and propelled by the Spirit, Peter soon found himself in a crowd of Gentiles, preaching the good news of Jesus. New insights flooded over him and he struggled to make sense of what was happening. It wasn’t easy for those Jewish disciples to cross long-standing boundaries and embrace Gentiles as brothers and sisters in Christ, but eventually they got it done. We continue to find it difficult to break down walls and accept the “other” as part of the family. Some of us have seen the struggle first-hand in our congregations as we’ve been asked to put aside long-held prejudices and welcome gay persons, honor their marriages, and accept them as our pastors. Some haven’t been able to do it! They’ve chosen to stand with tradition and practice exclusion–it’s their way of keeping faith and aligns with their understanding of scripture. But others, following Peter’s witness, have opened their arms to those who had long been rejected–and blessings have multiplied.

Thought for the Day: How do I feel about full inclusion of gays in our congregations?

Psalm 29

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.” vss. 2-3

In our time God is little more than an impotent fictive being for many people. They use God’s name almost exclusively as an interjection and seldom in a prayer. They often espouse a kind of superficial spirituality but have little or no interest in traditional forms of faith. The psalmist would have been appalled! For him God was like a powerful thunderstorm moving inland from the sea and spending itself in a spasm of wind, lightning, and rain over the forests of the coastal mountains. In other words God was an awesome force in the world, and not to be taken lightly. Of course we tend not to see God in storms and earthquakes–we have a better understanding of how such natural events occur. But science is never a good substitute for God, and those who worship it miss the Divine Presence that lies at the core of all that exists. Science can answer our questions about the weather but it can’t come close to explaining the mysteries of life and light that are the essence of our great God. People of faith have come to understand that every day deserves the quiet invocation of God’s presence and frequent consulting of God’s Spirit. The Lord of the Universe is the Ground of all Being, and not the product of needy imaginations.

Thought for the Day: When is God most real to me?

Isaiah 42:1-9

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” vs. 1

Isaiah wrote these words with respect to Israel, and he presumed that the nation would be the agent of the Lord’s redemptive power. This was the “new look” Israel, a country focused not on tribal expansion, but on being the spirit-filled, light-bringing presence of the Lord among the nations of the world. Later on when Jesus submitted to the baptism of John these words rang in his ears as a call from God. He felt the presence of the Spirit and believed that he had been sent to bring light to the nations–and that’s what he did! He didn’t form an army or make threatening gestures, he wasn’t that kind of leader! In fact, there was a spirit of gentleness about him as he acted with conviction and purpose to bring release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind. Through the years, those baptized into his name have been expected to continue that mission and many have done exactly that. All over the world servants of the Lord have faithfully acted as beacons of truth and love. Whole communities have been formed in the name of Jesus and worked to bring justice and peace to the broken and the poor. Through us the vision of Isaiah has become a continuing reality–and the Light of Christ shines brightly.

Thought for the Day: What is my calling?

Matthew 2:1-12

“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’” vss. 1-2

Matthew’s little tale of the wise men from the East is a familiar part of most Sunday School Christmas pageants. Even though it has no scriptural connection with Luke’s story of shepherds and angels, no program would be complete until the wise men have made their appearance. Matthew probably intended it to represent the universal relevance of Jesus’ birth–he hadn’t just come for Jews, but for all people, and even Gentiles were drawn to honor his coming. Many Christians use the story as the gospel reading for the Day of Epiphany, January 6, when they celebrate Jesus as the Incarnation of God. During the liturgical season of Epiphany we are then drawn to recount the many times in his life when he revealed the divine light with his words and deeds. Naturally, there has been a ton of speculation about these magi and all kinds of assertions have been made about their identity. Of course there are no definitive answers to those questions–this isn’t likely a representation of an historical event. At best the wise men are a reminder that the coming of the Christ in Jesus has cosmic significance. Even the stars of the heavens point to his holy presence among us.

Thought for the Day: What gift did you bring to Jesus this Christmas?

John 1:15-18

“No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” vs. 18

We are so blessed that the Christ was made fully known in the person of Jesus. Through that incarnation we have come to know that grace is the normative word of God for the universe. Obviously humans have needed to invent laws of many kinds in our efforts to live in community. Through the course of time we came to see those laws as the will of God for our life together and have even taught that salvation is dependent upon our obedience. To insure compliance, religious leaders have taught that God is a fearsome judge, one who judges sinners and who condemns the unrepentant to everlasting damnation. But Jesus brought a new word from God, a word of forgiveness, mercy, and love. Of course he wasn’t the first to teach such things–a number of prophets had a similar message for humanity. But Jesus is so clear about grace, and we who are his followers are eternally grateful. God’s last word for us is not, “You screwed up!” but “I love you, and you are mine forever.” There’s a lot we don’t know about the mystery that we call God, but that’s okay–our little minds simply can’t absorb such knowledge. But what we do know through Jesus is enough. Once we know that we are loved there’s little else that we really need to know.

Thought for the Day: Why is love so powerful?

John 1:10-14

“He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.” vs. 10

It’s been hard for the world to distinguish the Christ. We’ve imagined that God is totally separate from the universe, off in some place called heaven, and that things on earth have been left up to human discretion. Even though all things came into existence through Christ and contain the mark of the Divine Presence, the eyes of many have been blinded to the signs of that Presence, and they’ve chosen to live in darkness. According to John, writing at the close of the first century, that was the great tragedy of Jesus’ life. Most of the people who encountered him failed to acknowledge that he was Christ. They failed to recognize the Word that had become flesh in him. In our day the situation has changed a bit. There are many in the world who have come to believe that Jesus was the Christ and the religion that they’ve invented has come to dwarf Judaism, the religion of John and Jesus. But even when people call themselves Christians, they often miss the dynamic, living presence of the Word-become-Flesh in their homes and neighborhoods. Jesus Christ cannot be confined to an article of the Creed–he’s more than a historical presence. As John puts it, he’s in the world now, and blessed are those who see and know him!

Thought for the Day: Where and when can I expect to see the Christ today?

Ephesians 1:8b-14

“With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” vss. 8b-10

According to scripture all things in the universe have their beginning and their ending in Christ, the one and only Alpha and Omega. This great truth gives perspective and context to the life that we live in our own brief wrinkle of time. Because our lifespans are so short, hardly more than the blink of an eye, and because the universe is so large, it’s easy for us to imagine that what we do or say has little or no significance in the long run. Fortunately that dreary, pessimistic notion was foreign to Jesus and those who chose to follow him. In his vision all life has value–even sparrows and lilies of the field fall under God’s watchful eye. Each of us has been called to a life of purpose and our every word and deed plays a part in a larger scheme. As we move through these first days of a brand new decade we can be confident that we are making a difference, and that future generations are even now being affected by our presence and our actions. That may be hard for us to believe, but in Christ it’s the absolute truth!

Thought for the Day: How am I making a difference?

Ephesians 1:3-8

“just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.” vs. 4 

In the beginning the universe came into being through the infusion of the Christ, and through billions of years that Christ has continued to breathe life and light into the continuing creation–and that includes every member of the human race. None have been excluded. None have existence apart from Christ, and in Christ we are chosen and called to be holy and blameless while making the love of God incarnate. Too often we’ve avoided our calling by using sin as an excuse, saying in effect that we’re too flawed to be holy and blameless. That claim, of course, is total nonsense, and negates all that God has done in Jesus. We’re not flawed, we’re forgiven! And sin is no longer a barrier to our righteousness. In Christ we can be the people God has called us to be. We can live as Jesus lived, working for justice and peace, showing kindness and mercy to all we encounter. Will we wander? Will we sin? Of course, but in Christ there is instantaneous, restorative power through the presence of God’s Holy Spirit. We aren’t lone rangers on our mission, we’re all members of a team, and by exercising our one weapon of love, together in Christ, we can change the world.

Thought for the Day: Who are the other members of my team?

Psalm 147:16-20

“He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord!” vs. 20

As we begin a new year, some are putting together short lists of their resolutions…a few may even be so bold as to share them. They do seem more credible when they’re put down where others can see your intentions. A resolution kept to oneself will likely be the first one broken. We don’t know the time of year when the psalmist was writing but he used the occasion to offer praises to the Lord for all the special blessings that had been given to his nation. He honestly believed that no other country was so favored. Israel was special! Some have that feeling about the United States, that we are a nation favored by God–we even hint at that in our pledge of allegiance. While it’s unlikely that we hold that position in the heart of God it is certainly true that our country has been blessed with material abundance. It would be wonderful if we could use those resources for the good of all instead of hoarding them for ourselves. The psalmist believed Israel was special because they knew the ordinances of God–they knew how God wanted them to live. They were to be a blessing to the world. Perhaps that could be our collective resolution this year–that we would look not just to our own needs but to the needs of others, in a generous and helpful way! 

Thought for the Day: What will 2020 be like for the USA?

Psalm 147:12-15

“Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.” vss. 12-13

Traditionally this is a time for recounting the events of the previous year and to celebrate the blessings of our continuing lives. Some of us will be going out to dinner or perhaps inviting friends to share drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Many will make at least some attempt to stay up until midnight and offer a toast to the new year. Others will just go to bed and trust that the new year will arrive safely even if we’re not awake to welcome it. All of us could probably do well to imitate the psalmist and find some time during the day to offer praises to God for the security and the blessings we enjoy and take for granted. To a great extent we live what could be called charmed lives. Most of us have secure housing and don’t worry about bandits and thievery. We go about our business on a daily basis without any concern about personal safety. Police forces are well funded and well trained and offer round the clock protection. Most of us live comfortably and within our means–if we’re honest, we’ll have to admit we have it good. If we’re one of those able to stay awake tonight, maybe we could make our midnight toast a prayer of thanks to our bountiful God. We are among the most blessed people on earth!

Thought for the Day: What’s been the greatest blessing of 2019?