John 21:1-14

“Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” vs. 4

There was nothing about the appearance of the man on the beach that reminded the disciples of Jesus but when their nets were filled with fish after following his instructions, one of them shouted out, “It is the Lord!” When they came ashore and found the man preparing breakfast they were still uncertain. They felt like asking “Who are you?” but none of them dared…they just knew that it was the Lord. The resurrection is like that…we know that it happens but there’s always transformation. Some of us have had that experience with loved ones who have died. We’ll be going about our regular activities and then all of a sudden we sense a familiar presence. It’s mysterious, yet regularly reported. It could be wishful thinking of course. Even though we say we believe in the resurrection of the dead it’s hard for us to wrap our minds around something that defies logic and scientific inquiry. For the disciples the experience was enough to propel them into ministries for which many gave their lives. And it’s really not any different for us. We cherish the lingering presence of our beloved ones and look forward to our own new resurrected lives. What happened with Jesus is a foretaste of our own breakfast on the beach, a feasting in paradise with all those we’ve laid to rest.

Thought for the Day: What messages have I received from someone who has died?

Revelations 5:11-14

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, ‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’” vs. 13

We who pride ourselves on our rational thinking and scientific view of the universe don’t quite know what to do with the visions found in the book of Revelations. To some they seem bizarre and difficult to understand. Others take them literally and have devised quite remarkable predictions about future events. What we sometimes miss in our reading is the beauty and majesty John was intending to communicate. In the picture painted in these verses he imagines every creature in the universe offering a song of praise to the Lamb who is the Christ…not just humans, but fish and puppies and birds, all singing in a majestic unnumbered chorus before the throne of God. It’s a vivid reminder that the entire creation is the incarnation of God and that all things bear the stamp of their Maker. What’s even more spectacular is that the song they sing is heard regularly in thousands of our congregations as a part of worship. It’s a beautiful song of praise…and it comes to our liturgies from the portion of scripture that we least understand. It’s just another indicator that the wisdom of God is beyond human understanding!

Thought for the Day: What can we learn about God from a dog?

Psalm 30:6-12

“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?” vs. 9

It seems that the psalmist was dealing with some sort of calamity in his life, a situation that could lead to death. Perhaps it was some dread illness, we really don’t know. But like us, he was not above doing a bit of bargaining with God, and in his prayer reminds God that there is nothing to be gained from his death. If he dies, he tells God, God will lose a faithful witness. There’ll be one less person to sing God’s praises. That petition resonates with us, not just as an example of our bargaining, but as a reminder of a universal truth, namely that life is infinitely precious and is worth nurturing and preserving. It’s natural that we would cling to it with as much tenacity as we can muster. Now the psalmist believed that death had the last word…a person died and was buried and that was it. By faith we who are followers of Jesus maintain that something so precious as life simply can’t be snuffed out. We dare to believe that the natural cycle of the universe is death and resurrection…we see it all around…death is always followed by new life. So even as we fiercely hang on to life we know that it’s okay to let go…there’s a new adventure coming! And even our dust will offer God praise!

Thought for the Day: What bargains have I tried to make with God?

Psalm 30:1-5

“For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” vs. 5

The psalmist loved his relationship with the Lord. And because he felt so personally connected, there were times he believed that his actions had angered God. Sometimes that’s how it is when we love someone deeply…we assume that our careless words and actions will produce anger…and like the psalmist we rejoice when the anger is but for a moment. What a blessing it is to know that our feelings of alienation from God are temporary, that the dark night of the soul will give way to joy and gladness! There really is nothing that can separate us from the unconditional love of God and grace will be with us until the day we die and beyond. We may indeed feel at times that God is angry with us, but that’s only from our side of the relationship. From God’s side there’s nothing but mercy and love. That’s how it is with loving parents. While children may perceive that there is anger, they’re only seeing another aspect of deep and abiding love. The relationship is solid and our periodic foolishness will never threaten its permanence. We carry God’s DNA and nothing can possibly erase God’s presence from our lives.

Thought for the Day: When have I felt God was angry with me?

Acts 9:4-6

“He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’” vs. 5

Luke tells us that as Saul was traveling along the road to Damascus there had been a flash of light and then the words, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” It was quite an introduction! Saul hadn’t known Jesus of Nazareth…there’s no record he ever met him or heard him preach…but now he’d had a face to face encounter with the Resurrected Jesus, that one he would come to know as the Christ. Those few words tell us that the word was already out…the followers of Jesus were his presence in the world…and that’s still how we think of ourselves. We’re made members of Christ’s body in our baptisms and we are called to continue the mission of Jesus. As has been said so many times we are his hands and feet in the world…Saul as Paul would even say that we actually embody the Christ! It’s not that much of a stretch to say then that God has become incarnate in every single one of us. We make this claim not to exalt ourselves but as a reminder that everything we do and say has significance and importance. We’ve not been called to look to our own needs but to the needs of others. Through us the world itself is being transformed and changed. It might take a while…but one day the kingdom of heaven will be present on earth!

Thought for the Day: If God is incarnate in me, why am I so screwed up?

 Acts 9:1-3

“Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” vvv. 1-2

Saul loved the traditions, laws, and history of his people. He proudly claimed membership in  the tribe of Benjamin and had studied at the feet of the most learned rabbis…and he detested those Jews who had become followers of Jesus. In our time we are well acquainted with the murderous zealotry that stems from misguided religious convictions. We hear regularly about suicide bombings, mass shootings, attempted genocides, and horrendous repression of the weak and vulnerable. Most often the perpetrators will claim allegiance to a higher power but in reality their actions come from a belief that cherished values are being challenged and eroded. Operating from a position of fear coupled with a desire to return to the past, they use violence to intimidate and destroy opposition. Ultimately such gross irreligion is an affront to the Lord of the Universe who desires all people to walk in the way of love and inclusion. Ultimately Saul embraced the Jesus who he had rejected and proclaimed him as the Christ. The one who had been a persecutor of Christians became the architect of a new community of faith that he called the Body of Christ. It’s simply amazing how the Spirit works!

Thought for the Day: When will religious violence finally come to an end?

John 20:26-31

“But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” vs. 31

John leaves no doubt about his intentions in writing his gospel. He wanted to convince people that Jesus of Nazareth was in fact the Messiah (in Greek, the Christ) who had been present in creation and who was the Light of the world. In order to hammer that point home, he crafts the stories and dialog of his gospel to leave no doubt that Jesus is the Christ. Again and again, the Jesus of John uses the phrase “I am” to describe who he is, e.g. I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Bread of Life, I am the Resurrection and the Life… Readers would readily make the connection with the great “I Am” story in Exodus 3. This Jesus was no mere mortal; he was one with the Father, and he was the Way and the Truth and the Life. This glimpse of Jesus as Christ provided by John has proved invaluable to the church through the centuries. It’s a resounding reminder that the historical Jesus was more than another itinerant Jewish rabbi with some healing abilities. In Jesus we meet the Universal Christ, the same Christ who directs our lives and who guides us into lives of service and love. He is the Lodestar for every true believer!

Thought for the Day: In what way is Jesus my model for living?

John 20:19-25

“After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” vs. 20

According to the gospels the resurrected Jesus had changed. He could bilocate, appear, disappear…the disciples never knew when he would show up.  In John’s account they didn’t know who he was until they had seen his hands and his side. The marks of his suffering were the proof of his living presence and kindled joy in their hearts. That’s a pattern that we see repeated again and again in the community of Christ. Closeness eludes us until we see the marks of suffering. When we hide our pain and disguise our wounds we remain disconnected from one another. But when the hurts ooze forth from our souls and our scars are finally revealed we recognize the indwelling Christ in the other and find joy in our unity. Until that happens we remains strangers on the journey, unable to bond beyond the superficial and mundane. But with the revealing of wounds comes the breath of the Spirit and we are drawn together in mutual love and forgiveness. As wounded believers we are then able to go into our broken world with a reconciling message that has the ring of authenticity for those who see and hear it. In our weakness we show our strength and Christ is made known.

Thought for the Day: How has my suffering shaped my witness?

Revelation 1:7-8

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” vs. 8

John was writing to Christians struggling to maintain their identity in turbulent times. Believers had come together in congregations for loving and serving and many had suffered at the hands of the Empire. Some had been killed and were remembered as martyrs. Others were wondering about the future…would there be an end to the oppression, or would their newly formed communities be wiped out. John gives them assurance. The Lord God was greater than any emperor. The Lord God was the beginning and the end. In the Almighty all that exists had come into being and had been sustaining by the indwelling Christ revealed fully in Jesus. Suffering and death was not the end for him, and it wouldn’t be for them. At the Omega point all that exists would come together, and no one would miss out, not even those who had killed Jesus. What an incredible vision of the future! And what a source of hope for us who are losing patience with the struggles of humanity. There is so much ugliness…but there is even more goodness, and one day the forces of good will triumph. All things will come together in God, the One who was and is and ever will be.

Thought for the Day: What does the Omega point represent?

Revelations 1:4-6

“To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 5b-6

John begins his mysterious apocalypse with a dedication that glorifies the Risen Christ. In his estimation, not only had the faithful been loved and forgiven through Jesus Christ, they had been made into a kingdom of priests. No longer would there need to be a class of religious leaders charged with maintaining the sacrificial system who would mediate with God on behalf of the people. From now on every believer could have direct access…which in reality was the way it had always been. We don’t have to go to someone else to put in a word with the Lord or offer a sacrifice. The artificial barrier has been broken down…the curtain of the temple has been torn in two. There are some who might find that to be a troubling notion. They would prefer that God be at a distance and not immediately accessible. But that’s not the way it is. The One who was, is, and always will be doesn’t reside in some heavenly palace beyond the clouds. The Divine Presence who was there at the Big Bang is with us and in us every moment of every day. Our priestly prayers and service ensure constant contact and the loving and forgiving will never end.

Thought for the Day: What do priests do?