Genesis 22:27-31

“So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’” vs. 30

John writes in his gospel that no one has ever seen God, but that Jesus the Christ had made God known. Yet in the Genesis stories we find a different perspective. Abraham had conversations with the Lord and in this passage Jacob reports seeing God face to face. And then in Exodus we discover that Moses regularly met with the Lord face to face in the tent of meeting. Most of us probably would agree with John’s perspective, yet there’s an undeniable appeal to the old tales from the Pentateuch. We like the notion of a personal face to face encounter with the Lord, and for some people that language fits their experience. They speak of going toe to toe with God as they struggle with life’s unanswered questions. Others report intense wrestling matches in the dark of the night. Skeptics might discount such accounts as the product of an overactive conscience, a kind of internal struggle common to us all. They say rightly that God has no physical form or shape to do battle with. Such folks are missing the point. Of course the striving is internal…that’s where the Lord is! In addition to being in every part of the universe and beyond, God is imprinted in our DNA. God is the breath of life and fills us every day of our lives…and is always available for a debate!

Thought for the Day: What are my biggest unanswered questions?

Genesis 32:22-26

“Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” vs. 24

The accounts of the patriarchs and matriarchs in Genesis are rich with literary allusions and masterful symbolism. Full of vivid detail they made for magnificent story-telling and helped to shape Jewish identity. Jacob, from whom Israel gets its name, was his mother’s favorite and a willing participant in a heart-breaking act of fraud and deceit. Forced to flee from a rightfully angry brother he spends years in exile with his mother’s family before deciding to return home and face his brother. The night before they are to meet is filled with a nightmarish encounter with a stranger and the two wrestle until daybreak. Some of us know what that feels like. We’ve spent those hours in our beds wrestling with our inner demons–maybe we too have lived on the edge of trickery and deceit–such memories never die. Facing an uncertain future, like Jacob we crave a blessing, some sign that we’ll be okay in our tomorrows. In the darkness, where every anxiety and fear is magnified, we dream and fitfully toss and turn, wondering what the dawn will bring. Those are tough nights–it’s hard to get rest when God has us in a half-nelson! But out of the struggle a blessing does emerge. The sun rises and we limp off into a new day of grace.

Thought for the Day: What happens on my sleepless nights?

Luke 17:15-19

“Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” vs. 18

Even though they had common ancestral roots and faith practices, Samaritans were despised by the Jews. So when the one leper who returned to thank Jesus was revealed to be a Samaritan Jesus makes a point of it. This sort of thing happened more than once in the course of his ministry. People who had been systematically excluded became models of faithfulness in his preaching and teaching, e.g. the Canaanite woman and the Good Samaritan. We see the same sort of thing happening today. Always it seems, certain groups of people are designated as outsiders by those on the inside–it even happens in faith communities. It’s easy for followers of Jesus to categorize people of other religions or no religion as outside the family. We’re on guard in their presence and careful about our associations with them–we try hard to maintain our perceived purity or holiness. But God pays no attention to our contrived distinctions. The Holy Spirit regularly works in the lives of such outsiders to produce amazing fruit–and often their faithfulness puts us insiders to shame. They seem to have a special perspective on what God is doing in the world and are regular sources of mercy and healing for those who are hurting. One day perhaps we’ll all catch on to how God really works and begin to see all people as tools of grace! And on that day all people will praise God with one voice!

Thought for the Day: What makes a person an outsider?

Luke 17:11-14

“When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean.” vs. 14

The book of Leviticus is meticulous in laying out the ground rules for dealing with any kind of skin disease. Those who contracted the most serious of those diseases, the one known as leprosy, were ostracized from the community and forced to keep their distance. The only way to be restored was through examination by the priests. While on his way to Jerusalem Jesus encountered a group of lepers who asked him to have mercy on them. Aware of the law regarding leprosy he advises them to go to the priests–and they do! Luke tells us that as they went, they were made clean. It’s a reminder that healing in Jesus’ ministry happened in a variety of ways, most often by touch, sometimes at a distance, occasionally by command, and this time, as the lepers did what was required by the law. In fact, most of these lepers didn’t even seem to associate their healing with Jesus. We have those same experiences with healing, sometimes it’s instantaneous, occasionally miraculous, but most often as we follow a doctor’s prescribed regimen. And like the lepers we frequently don’t connect our healing with Jesus. It’s simply something that happens on the journey, and thankfully, it happens often enough that we consider it to be commonplace. However it comes though, it’s always the work of God, and worth a word of thanks!

Thought for the Day: My most amazing experience with healing.

2 Timothy 2:14-15

“Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening.” vs. 14

The letters of First and Second Timothy, together with Titus, are often known as pastoral epistles because they address concerns being experienced by the leaders of the early Christian community. The gospel as preached by Paul and others had  spread rapidly and congregations had formed in most of the cities of the eastern Mediterranean. Jesus had left no organizational system and there were no synods or regions–and there certainly wasn’t a single unifying creed or liturgy. Guided by the Spirit folks were operating according to local customs and some basic unifying traditions. A lot of the time they were just making stuff up! As a consequence in some places there was a ton of confusion and disorder. Charismatic leaders were boldly moving in a variety of directions and sometimes the gospel message was being obscured or lost altogether. Evidently some were expert at wordsmithing and loved to fight about language and words. Some of us can easily relate! We’ve been at synodical assemblies or congregational meetings and been witness to the wrangling that can go on. It would be comical if it weren’t so destructive to many of those who listen. Obviously decisions need to be made by communities of faith. But how sad it is when the debates become acrimonious and divisive. In such a setting the good news is distorted and our mission grinds to a halt.

Thought for the Day: Where have I observed “wrangling over words” in the church?

2 Timothy 2:8-13

“…if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” vs. 13

People in the early church firmly believed that those who die with Christ will also live with him. That phrase shows up in early hymn fragments and was probably recited at baptismal rituals. But they also believed and taught that if they were faithless, Christ would remain faithful. This simple teaching was at the core of their hope–they knew in their hearts that their salvation did not ultimately depend on the strength of their faith. In fact even if they were faithless, God in Christ would continue to be faithful. This is an amazing truth, one that has been sadly obscured in the Christian community. We all know people who have wandered away from the church for one reason or another–many times we know them well–they could include our children or grandchildren. It’s natural to be saddened when this happens–we’d prefer that they remain. But we don’t need to worry about their relationship to Christ. Even if they no longer pray or worship Christ remains faithful to them and is always present in them. Often we see in them the unmistakable fruits of the Spirit. The inborn image of God may be obscured but it can never be obliterated. What a gift this assurance is for us! We don’t need to worry about the ultimate destiny of those we love. They’re safe in the hands of our faithful God.

Thought for the Day: If God is faithful, why is our faithfulness important?

Psalm 111:6-10

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.” vs. 10

Wisdom has been prized through all generations and many continue to pursue it. Some confuse it with knowledge and believe that if they go to school, study, and graduate with honors they’ll have it. For them it’s connected to having all the answers. The psalmist would not agree. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with knowledge and it’s probably wise to learn all we can about how this world operates–but that’s not wisdom. Wisdom is what allows us to use our knowledge and experience to make good choices and decisions about our path in life. It’s certainly a quality that we crave for ourselves and our children in these turbulent times. It’s hard to know just how we become wise, for some it almost seems to be a gift–we know it when we see it. The psalmist suggests that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and his insight has merit. Of course he’s not saying that we should be afraid of God. He’s speaking of something more along the lines of respect and honor. To fear the Lord is to have reverence for the Creator and all that exists. It requires deep humility, knowing that we aren’t God, and being content with being human. In other words the road to wisdom is a spiritual journey, not an intellectual one, but blessings abound when we arrive!

Thought for the Day: Who are the wise people in my life?

Psalm 111:1-5

“Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.” vs. 1

The psalmist wasn’t thanking the Lord for any answered prayer or a particular blessing that had come to him. Instead he was reflecting on the goodness and mercy of God throughout all the generations–and he didn’t hold back! His song of thanksgiving came from the heart and he sang as a part of the congregation. Worship was communal to the core–people came to the temple in the company of the faithful–and they loved to offer praise together to the Lord. We’ve lost a bit of that communal connection in these latter days. People report that they come to worship as individuals expecting to receive something–often they’re looking for a bold and provocative sermon or maybe a special presentation from the choir. And if that doesn’t happen they begin to consider abandoning worship altogether. But worship at its core concerns what we do for God–it’s our time for joining the congregation in hymns of praise and thanksgiving and for reflecting on the grace and mercy that God has for every one of us. Sometimes when we gather for worship now it’s sad to see diminishing numbers–congregations are dwindling. We have such a wonderful and generous Lord–and the love just keeps on coming. And even as we grow less faithful, the faithfulness of God continues forever. Praise the Lord! And what a blessing it is to do it in the company of the saints!

Thought for the Day: What reasons do people give for abandoning worship?

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15

“But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’” vs. 13

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a proud man. He had been told by his wife’s servant girl, a captive from Israel, that there was a man in Samaria who could cure him of his leprosy. After some diplomatic maneuvering he had gotten permission to come to the home of the prophet Elisha–but Elisha didn’t even come out to see him. He sent word through a messenger that Naaman should go wash in the Jordan seven times. Naaman was outraged at the presumed insult to a person of his standing and was ready to go back to Aram until convinced by his servants that he should give the prescribed treatment a try. Many of us are like Naaman. One of our favorite images of God has been as a supernatural interventionist who periodically acts in miraculous and spectacular ways. We’ve had a hard time beginning to understand God as one who is constantly present and who works through the ordinary to bring life and healing. But what a blessing it is to know that God is more than a Being who hangs out in heaven and who occasionally intervenes in our lives. The real God is as near as our breath and acts through ordinary washing and eating and drinking to restore and cleanse our leprous lives.

Thought for the Day: What’s an example of a miraculous healing?

Luke 17:5-10

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’” vss. 5-6

Jesus’ response to the apostles’ demand that he increase their faith is enigmatic at best. It seems that he’s telling them that faith is not quantifiable. We can’t have variable amounts! Either we have faith, or we don’t! We’re not used to thinking that way. Like the apostles we often wish that our convictions about God were stronger so that we didn’t have to worry about stuff so much. We may even feel that our faith has eroded through the years and that it’s on the verge of disappearing altogether. But Jesus seems to be saying that what little faith we have is enough, even if it’s the size of a mustard seed. And he’s got a point! After all, what really counts in our relationship with God is the faith God has in us, and that never runs out. Over and over again God keeps coming to us with unconditional offers of mercy and forgiveness–grace upon grace is poured into our lives–and the strength of our faith is not the deciding factor. Of course it would be horrible if our faith disappeared altogether–but as long as that mustard seed sized trust remains, we’ll stay in touch with the love God has for us–and in the long run, that’s much more important than anything else.

Thought for the Day: When have I come closest to losing my faith?