Jeremiah 2:9-13

“for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.” vs. 13

Jeremiah’s descriptive image tells the whole story. In forsaking the Lord Israel had replaced the fountain of living water with cracked cisterns of their own construction that couldn’t even hold water. It’s a familiar tale for the people of God…we see it happen again and again. We are born in the image of God and equipped for lives of service and love in a bountiful and beautiful creation. Sustained and nurtured by the Divine Presence, the fountain of life within us, we can live fruitful and abundant lives and enjoy the blessings of a loving community until the end of our days. We are promised a wonderful life! But the ways of the world have a seductive appeal and many develop an appetite for pleasure, wealth, and power. They spurn the living water and seek other sources for their fleshly satisfaction, ones of their own manufacture…and these become their gods. But it never works! Those substitutes for the Divine Presence haven’t the power to bring satisfying peace and joy. Their cisterns crack…the polluted water drains away. Some return to the Living Water and the Divine Presence is resurrected…joy returns. But others never come back…they live out their lives in a barren search for that which lies within them. But even for them resurrection lurks…and ultimately will have the last word.

Thought for the Day: Where are the cracks in my cistern? 

Jeremiah 2:4-13

“Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.” vs. 4

We find the phrase “Hear the word of the Lord” regularly from Jeremiah as he lived out his life as a prophet in Jerusalem. God had given him words for the people and he could not rest until they were spoken. Often the words were condemning. Israel had failed to live up to the covenant that had been established at Sinai many hundreds of years before. Jeremiah called on them in the name of the Lord to change their ways and be restored as the people of the promise before it was too late. There is no record that anyone paid much attention to his words. No changes were made and the country was destroyed. Jeremiah ended his days in Egypt. Evidently people thought the words he had said were his own and not those of the Lord. We can’t really blame them. We have the same difficulty. We hear the same language as Jeremiah used…in some of our worship services every reading of scripture is followed by “The word of the Lord.” But are those words really the words of God? We say they are…but most of us are hardly listening. Where can we go in our time to find authentic words from the Lord? Do we hear them from preachers? And when we do hear such words, how do we respond? Do we actually change our lives? Oh so many questions…where are the answers?

Thought for the Day: Where do I hear the word of the Lord?

Luke 13:15-17

“When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.” vs. 17

Public opinion was solidly on the side of Jesus in the sabbath healing controversy. Jesus had broken the proscription about healing but he had won the hearts of the crowd. The religious authorities had been humiliated…Jesus had pounced on their hypocrisy, implying that they cared more for their oxen and donkeys than they did a poor crippled woman…and the people loved it. The leader of the synagogue doesn’t get a chance to explain…likely he would have said that of course he cared about the crippled woman, but he had the welfare of the entire community to consider. Didn’t Jesus see that the moment one part of the law was disregarded, all of it would be jeopardized? Ironically, that’s exactly what Jesus saw…the law could be a helpful and necessary tool, but it was no way to govern the coming kingdom. The healing of the woman symbolized what he had in mind. From now on the byword of the community would be restoration and not retribution…words and actions would be guided by a spirit of forgiveness and compassion and not by commandments. Like the crowd, we like the tone of that message…mercy sounds appealing…but can we trust it to provide stability? Somehow it seems safer to hang on to the rules…and so we do!

Thought for the Day: What would happen if mercy were the guiding principle of the justice system?

Luke 13:10-14

“But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.’” vs. 14

For the leader of the synagogue and other religious authorities obedience to the Sabbath commandment was at the heart of what it meant to be a Jew. It’s what distinguished them from the Gentiles. The rules for what could be done on the Sabbath had been carefully hammered out by the scribes over hundreds of years…and healing didn’t make the cut. And Jesus didn’t care! He healed the woman knowing full well that he was in violation of the commandment and most of us would have applauded. What we miss is that the rules and red tape are still around…the Jews had 39 categories of sabbath laws…our government agencies have tens of thousands of regulatory laws. There’s nothing wrong with having laws…in fact, most of the time the rule of law is a blessing. But sometimes our enthusiasm for enforcing rules directly affects what can be done for distressed and hurting people. We’ve heard a lot about obedience to the law in the recent debates about citizenship and immigration. Rigid enforcement has had sad and heartbreaking consequences. For a follower of Jesus compassion always has the last word, even if it means precious rules are broken.

Thought for the Day: What might lead me to break a law?

Hebrews 12:22-29

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe…” vs. 28

Jesus came announcing the presence of the kingdom of God and taught his followers to pray for its coming on earth as well as in heaven. Mostly though, the best we’ve been able to do is catch periodic glimpses of that kingdom…for this age, it remains a work in progress. The writer to the Hebrews reminded his readers that this coming kingdom was entirely a gift…it was something that they would receive that could never be taken from them…and they should respond in their worship with regular offerings of thanksgiving. His advice is appropriate for us too. When we do see people interacting and behaving in loving, merciful ways we should respond with thanks to God. Those words and deeds remind us that God is present in our world and that kingdom work is being done. What’s remarkable in our time is that we see these signs being done in all parts of the world by people belonging to a variety of faith expressions. Kingdom building is not just a Christian thing! There is a God movement sweeping the planet that is being manifested in acts of love and a move toward justice for all. The light of Christ is being seen in diverse places, and it’s all a foretaste of the goodness that will ultimately triumph. Thanks be to God!

Thought for the Day: Where do I see signs that goodness will triumph?

Hebrews 12:18-21

“You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest…” vs. 18

The writer of the book of Hebrews, writing to people who were familiar with scripture, found inspiration in the faith of the ancestors, but also pointed to the limitations of their stories. Here he compares the experience of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai with the new covenant mediated by Jesus. The Israelites had come to something that could be touched, a holy mountain, and had experienced the presence of a terrifying God. For those who follow Jesus the God experience is personal. We don’t go to a mountain or a temple or some sacred shrine to meet God, God instead comes to us. Just as God came to Jesus at the Jordan with a flutter of wings and a word of love, God comes to us every day of our lives through the presence of that same Spirit. It can happen anywhere…at home, at work, golfing or hanging with friends. And when God comes near one message touches our hearts…we are loved! And more than that, our future is secure. Choose whatever image you wish for life in the world to come, but cling to the promise that is common to all. One day we will be with God in all God’s purity and holiness…and it’s all a gift! And best of all, there will be perfect peace and rest for all!

Thought for the Day: Why is God a terrifying presence for some?

Psalm 71:1-6

“Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.” vs. 6

What a blessing it is to have a life-long connection with God…and be aware of it! Most of us know that we were born and that we have mothers but not so many know God as the sustainer and protector of their lives. The psalmist knew, and gave continual praise to the Lord through his entire life. When times were tough it was that faith that gave him confidence…God was his rock, the stronghold of his salvation. Many times we can’t be certain where that assurance comes from…it’s just always been there. Maybe it’s instilled in us through our closest associations, perhaps fathers or mothers who prayed by our bedsides from earliest remembrance. We know of course that God is present in all from the very beginning but that presence can easily be obscured by the cares and pains of the world. Some wander their entire lives never knowing the God who dwells within. They may even think that the trials and tribulations of life are all that is, and that they’re on their own in dealing with challenges. Occasionally God will break out in such persons’ lives with resurrection power…in a flash they know they’re not alone and that there’s more to life than meets the eye. In that moment God becomes for them their fortress of refuge and strength, and they too will sing for joy.

Thought for the Day: How was faith instilled in me?

Jeremiah 1:6-10

“See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” vs. 10

Jeremiah’s boyhood commission likely made a huge impression on him. He believed that the Lord had put words in his mouth and from that point on he devoted himself to bringing that message to whomever would listen…and even those who wouldn’t! There was a tough principle at the core of what he had to say and it wasn’t designed to make people feel good. He told the people of Jerusalem that the nation would be destroyed and overthrown…the temple and religious institutions would be pulled down. Jeremiah was remembered for that doom and gloom…but that wasn’t all he had to say…he also talked about building and planting. There would be a new covenant and a restored relationship with God. We see that sort of thing played out again and again in history. The people of God regularly go astray…their intentions are flawed and their institutions become corrupt. Continuing to build God’s peaceable kingdom often means that old ways must first be destroyed. Old traditions, rituals, and practices will need to disappear before growth can continue. Such transitions are never pleasant…the Jeremiahs who lead the way will be scorned and ignored. But God is at work in the rubble and soon green shoots will be seen, there’ll be a new beginning, and glimpses of the kingdom will abound.

Thought for the Day: What words has God put in my mouth?

Jeremiah 1:4-6

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” vs. 5

Jeremiah did not believe that he was a prophet by chance, nor did he think he had chosen to be one. Rather he was convinced that what he was doing in Jerusalem was his destiny. God had appointed him even before he was born and he had been aware of his calling from his youth onwards. Some believe that each of us have been predestined in a similar fashion for a particular purpose…they then spend their lives trying to figure out what that is. It’s more likely that the Jeremiahs among us are a special category…indeed history is replete with leaders who seem to have been born for what they do. We see them as special gifts from God and we’re blessed by their presence. For most of us God’s purpose is more mundane. We make our own decisions about where to live and what to do and then use God’s gifts to love and serve in that context. We are called to let the Light of Christ shine brightly wherever we end up living. That Light does indeed originate in God and was present before our birth, but the manner of its shining is unique to our particular personalities. Only a few of us will be Jeremiahs but we are all children of the Light and a blessing to the nations.

Thought for the Day: What is my destiny?

Luke 12:54-56

“You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” vs. 56

There are times when we humans are pretty adept at making our predictions. Like folks in Jesus’ day we’re even skilled at figuring out what the weather is going to be, and we don’t even look at the clouds. A quick look at our phones will tell us precisely when rain will fall and when the sun will shine…and a lot of the time the forecast is right on target. But we’re not so good at figuring out the truth or consequences of words and actions when it comes to the social environment. For instance we still haven’t figured out that an atmosphere filled with insults, threats, lies, and hate speech will result in an outpouring of violence and destruction all across the land. So many seem to believe that there is absolutely no connection between the things they say and do and the things that happen. It’s actually pretty predictable: if we hurl hurtful and demeaning insults at our opponents, they’re going to fire them right back, and the conflict will escalate. Jesus taught his disciples to love their enemies, pray for their detractors and practice kindness and forgiveness in all of their relationships. When those behaviors can begin to dominate our social landscapes, sunny dispositions will most certainly follow!

Thought for the Day: Which brings most satisfaction: being kind or getting even?