Psalm 51:6-10

“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.” vs. 8

Because we have been created in the image of God for goodness sake, we cannot help but feel terrible when we miss the mark and become conscious of sin’s ugly presence. The experience of sinning leaves us with a heavy weight on our hearts and sometimes the guilt comes close to crushing our spirits. Of course, given our need to at least appear righteous to others, we often keep such feelings hidden, a secret to even our friends and family. When we wander into worship in such moments we don’t need a fire and brimstone condemnation, which is the message too often heard in our congregations! The psalmist in his misery yearned to be lifted up, to hear words of joy and gladness, and that’s what we need too! Our already crushed spirits need healing and restoration–and that’s what we get from our loving and merciful God. What a blessing it is to be a part of a community of faith in which we regularly hear that gospel proclaimed with passion and enthusiasm. The world beats us up regularly with its ego shattering values–we don’t need to be broken afresh on Sunday morning. This doesn’t mean we won’t hear challenging words from our preachers–that’s a part of their calling. But the final word for God’s beloved and broken children is always a word of grace, one that will lift us up and give hope for the future–and bring cleansing to our hearts.

Thought for the Day: When do I most need to hear a word of joy?

Psalm 51:1-5

“Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” vs. 5

According to Hebrew tradition this psalm was David’s response when Nathan, the prophet, confronted him after his dalliance with Bathsheba. Even if the writer wasn’t David it was surely a person struggling with deep and profound feelings of shame and guilt. Many of us know what that’s like. For one reason or another we manage to screw up our lives big time–even if our misdeeds haven’t become public knowledge we know what we’ve done. When our actions come to mind we are overcome with remorse and, like David, can even imagine that we are beyond redemption. Sometimes it gets so bad that we can’t discern one bit of goodness in ourselves and imagine that we are rotten to the core, that we were born guilty. Unfortunately this verse was used by Christian theologians as a basis for proposing and propagating the doctrine of original sin, an unhelpful notion that has often effectively obscured our original goodness. Just because there are times when we feel both real and imagined guilt doesn’t mean that we are by nature sinful and unclean. Do we sin? Of course we do–and sometimes our sins are horrendous–but those sins do not define us, and they certainly aren’t our mother’s fault! God will always have mercy and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It happened for David and it regularly happens for the rest of us too! 

Thought for the Day: The worst I’ve ever felt for something that I did!

Exodus 32:7:14

“And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.” vs. 14

In this little story from Exodus it appears that the Lord has flipped a gasket over the idolatrous behavior of the Israelites in the wilderness and is ready to wipe them all out. Moses, aware of the Lord’s anger, has to use his best debating skills to avert disaster. What stands out in the narrative is the writer’s conviction that the Lord’s mind was changed by Moses’ argument. No matter what our image of God, that’s a thought-provoking and challenging idea. The text implies that God’s natural inclination is judgment and not mercy, a view of God that many in our world seem to hold. They are convinced that when people engage in wicked and sinful behavior they deserve punishment. In other words, condemnation is God’s factory setting! But Moses in this tale reminds the Lord of a deeper truth, that the defining attribute of a truly great god is mercy. Ultimately it wasn’t the Lord’s mind that needed to be changed–it was our human notion of God! God is not vengeful and ready to wipe us out for every infraction! Indeed, God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. It took a while for Israel to grasp that truth, but it became the dominant message of the prophets and became incarnate in the life and mission of Jesus. We don’t have to change God, it’s God who changes us!

Thought for the Day: How has God changed through the years?

Luke 14:31-33

“So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” vs. 33

Jesus regularly reminded his followers that discipleship was a costly undertaking and not something that could be taken lightly. Here he tells them that it will include the abandonment of all their possessions. Following his death and resurrection it seems those who became disciples were willing to do exactly that–the book of Acts tells us that they held all possessions in common. As time passed his words were taken to heart only by those who entered monasteries and convents–men and women who were willing to take a vow of poverty. In our time, while some still make such vows, most Christians simply ignore Jesus. They hang on tight to their possessions and are always looking for ways to get even more stuff. They’d much rather talk about God’s grace than any possible cost or sacrifice. What they fail to realize is that grace itself is costly–it’s a gift to be sure, but it comes with a price. It’s that paradox that lies at the heart of Christianity–as Jesus put it, “those who lose their life will find it.” St. Francis summed it up by saying “it is in dying that we are raised to eternal life.” Of course Jesus isn’t advocating homelessness–that would be foolish thinking indeed. But he is saying that a spiritual adventure can never begin without a pretty extensive estate sale–it’s what St. Francis did, and his action changed the world for good.

Thought for the Day: Is wealth a blessing or a curse?

Luke 14:25-30

“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” vs. 26

Sometimes Jesus’ words are harsh and difficult to understand. We wonder if he could possibly mean what he seems to be saying and search for ways to make his hard statements palatable. Or maybe there’s another way to translate Luke’s Greek–perhaps an alternative meaning for the word “hate”, one that will soften its impact. But hate isn’t necessarily the opposite of love–and hating father and mother doesn’t mean that you can’t also love them. And the same is true for wife, children, brothers and sisters–Jesus isn’t saying that our hearts shouldn’t overflow with love for them. What he is saying is that discipleship means making some costly decisions, ones that will have a deep impact on every part of our lives. And any choice that would jeopardize our spiritual connection to him could be devastating! Another way of understanding this is to recognize that there is nothing more important than loving God with all our heart, mind, and strength–all else has to be in second place. Of course that doesn’t mean we have to spend our days dissing everyone who is close to us and trying to inflict pain in their lives–that’s not what Jesus is talking about. It’s all about priorities in living–and making sure that God is always number one!

Thought for the Day: How could children ever get in the way of Jesus?

Philemon 8-25

“Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” vss. 15-16

Slavery was commonplace in the Roman Empire–it had an institutional presence and was unquestioned by the early Christians. It didn’t take long though for their little communities to realize that the message of the gospel just didn’t work in an atmosphere of bondage. Paul didn’t see Onesimus as a slave any longer–in his eyes he was a brother in Christ, and he invited Philemon to see him in the same way. We don’t know how Philemon reacted, but what we do know is that it took centuries for the institution of slavery to be broken down. In fact, in many places Christianity adapted so well to the presence of slaves that Christian leaders became advocates of bondage and claimed that it was the will of God. Some of them even bought and sold slaves without much serious reflection. The economic benefits were too great to ignore. That same kind of resistance to the freedom of the gospel has been widespread–it has been difficult even for followers of Jesus to put aside long-standing practices and prejudices. But where the good news is proclaimed freely barriers and bondages have crumbled and fallen. In Christ there is no slave or free–all are one!

Thought for the Day: Why do humans like to “lord it over” one another?

Philemon 1-7

“I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.” vs. 7

The letters of Paul give us amazing snapshots of life in the early Christian communities. In one way or another in dozens of cities, the good news of Jesus had been proclaimed and passed on. Hundreds of people had become believers and were meeting weekly in what were known as “house churches.” There was no established hierarchy of priests or pastors, but in each community people were being led by the Spirit to provide leadership in a variety of ways. One of those “house churches” met in the home of Philemon, a well-to-do man who lived in the city of Colossae in present day Turkey. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus who had evidently run away and found his way to Ephesus where Paul was imprisoned. Under Paul’s influence Onesimus had become a follower of Jesus too and now Paul had decided that it would be good for him to be reconciled with his master. In his letter to Philemon we sense the deep bonds of love that connected the Christians in these various communities. They were truly like family to one another and were quick to offer prayers and encouragement in every time of need. That caring has always been a strength of faith communities. Our congregations don’t exist in isolation–we have connections, a common faith that ties us together as the living, loving Body of Christ–and we look out for one another!

Thought for the Day: How is my congregation connected to the larger church?

Psalm 1:4-7

“The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” vs. 4

The imagery used by the psalmist calls to mind the hilltop threshing floors used by farmers to separate the wheat from the chaff at harvest time. As they tossed the separated grain into the air, the chaff would be blown away by the wind while the heavier wheat would fall back to the earth. The metaphor implies that one day there will be a separation between the wicked and the righteous. The problem with this dualistic approach to describing humanity is obvious–this isn’t how life is! It simply isn’t true that there are two categories of people, the good and the bad! We’ve used that kind of language far too long and it’s led to some really messed up thinking. The truth is that all people are the children of God and are created in the divine image–and all have fallen short of the glory of God. We’ve all been touched by the power of sin–none are able to escape its influence. All of us need cleansing and restoration–and that’s exactly what is happening in the Kingdom of God. The wind from God, which in the words of Genesis brooded over the waters in the midst of chaos, continues to blow through our lives now. This Holy Spirit blows away the chaff, all the residue of sin, cleanses hearts, and restores a right spirit within us. Come, Holy Spirit, blow through my life today!

Thought for the Day: Where do I experience the wind from God? 

Psalm 1:1-3

“They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” vs. 3

The world of this psalmist was not particularly complicated. There were good people and bad people, those who had their act together and those who didn’t. Most of us would probably agree–that’s what we see too. There are those who delight in doing what is right and others who seem to get their kicks from lying and cheating. The psalmist’s description of the righteous is right on–they are like trees planted by streams of water and their fruits abound. In other words, they are those in whom Christ is made visible–their spiritual roots tap into that Divine Presence and the Light is unmistakable. It’s not that they don’t mess up from time to time–all of us know that experience. The ways of the world are powerful and regularly work together to obscure the good in us. But Christ is a powerful presence and has resurrection power. We are regularly raised up with Christ and restored to righteous living. In fact there’s even that hope for the liars and cheats among us. The Christ dwells within them too–on their better days we can glimpse signs of that holy presence, and we’re surprised and made glad by the fruit they bear. What a gift it is to see such restoration! It’s what we want for all God’s children!

Thought for the Day: A stranger in whom I have seen the light of Christ!

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live…” vs. 19

The Israelites had been set free from their bondage in Egypt by the grace of God and had been formed into a people by their experience in the wilderness. Now they faced a critical moment–ahead lay life and death, blessings and curses–their future would depend on their choices. There are some who say that humanity now stands at a similar juncture. God has showered blessings upon all people–we have reaped the bounty of creation. Blessings and curses lie ahead–our future depends on our choices. It now appears to many that our unprecedented prosperity has come at a great environmental cost. Global warming is changing our world even faster than scientists have predicted and the effects are unmistakable. Important decisions have to be made quickly–there isn’t time to spare. Will it be life or death? How will our failure to make hard choices affect the lives of our descendants? What kind of future are we bequeathing to them? Those are big questions and it remains to be seen if we have the collective will to make the right choices, particularly if they involve financial sacrifice. We know how things turned out for Israel–they chose death and curses and lost their nation. Perhaps there’s a different ending for us! The choice is in our hands!

Thought for the Day: What difference do our individual choices make?