Jeremiah 33:14-16

“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” vs. 15

For centuries the people of Israel and Judah had lived with the conviction that they were children of the promise. They believed with all their hearts that God had brought them to the land they occupied and that God would bring them prosperity. They didn’t have aspirations to conquer the world…they only wanted a place they could call their own. In Jeremiah’s time that promise seemed in jeopardy. Israel had been overrun and its people scattered. Many had fled south to Judah…and now Judah was being challenged by Babylon. Court prophets had advised the king to make an alliance with Egypt…Jeremiah advised against it. He told the people to trust in the promises of the Lord, that one day God would raise up a leader who would execute justice and righteousness. Of course no one listened to Jeremiah. The rulers turned to Egypt for help and Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took the ruling families captive. But Jeremiah’s words were remembered and written down…and one day the promise was kept in a more spectacular way than they could have ever imagined. A righteous Branch did spring up in the person of Jesus and through his continuing presence the entire world will one day experience God’s justice and righteousness.

Thought for the Day: What promises of God do I continue to cling to?

John 18:37

“Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’” vs. 37

Pilate was having a hard time figuring Jesus out, and Jesus isn’t making it easy for him. It was being said that Jesus was a king…and since appearances can be deceiving Pilate checks it out. Of course Jesus gives an ambiguous answer…no simple “yes” or “no” here. The exchange is telling, and shows the impossibility of fitting Jesus into our human categories. He is a king, but not like any sovereign the world has ever known. His kingship is a matter of substance and has little to do with royal categories. There’s no crown or scepter, no palace or fawning courtiers. In him we find truth incarnate…his words reveal the essence and the purpose of life. His subjects are those who pay attention to what he says and whose deeds reflect his desires. His message is neither complicated nor obscure and can be summed up in a single commandment, that we love one another in the same way as he has loved us. Where such love is present Christ the King is glorified and we experience the joys of the Kingdom of God. Pilate never did figure it all out…but we have no excuse!

Thought for the Day: In what way is Christ my King?

John 18:33-36

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’” vs. 36

Even though Jesus was the king he did not expect his followers to engage in military activity. Instead of picking up the sword they would wage war with deeds of love and kindness. It’s embarrassing to see how quickly his principles were forgotten. As soon as Christians had any kind of political power they quickly abandoned what Jesus had taught and adopted battle strategies that were identical to the ways of the world. Popes led forces equipped with the latest weapons. Bishops rode horses into battle swinging maces and creating mayhem. They even fought other Christians. The Thirty Years War in Europe resulted in massive devastation…and all the participating armies were led by Christians! Even today Christians are at the forefront of those clamoring for even bigger armies and more destructive weapons. But not all followers of Jesus have forgotten his words! There are many who work for peace and who are advocates for non-violent change. We can be grateful for their witness and presence…they are a constant reminder that the true kingdom of Jesus is greater than the world’s narrow provincialism. It transcends political parties and national boundaries and includes people of every race and creed. In his realm leaders are servants and heroes are peacemakers.

Thought for the Day: Why is pacifism so difficult?

Revelation 1:4b-8

“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.” vss. 5b-6

Today is Black Friday, the beginning of the Christmas shopping frenzy. Early this morning parking lots were filled as millions of shoppers competed for amazing bargains at unheard of prices. Now there’s certainly nothing wrong with buying gifts and taking advantage of sales, but it is a bit strange that our culture would begin its celebration of Jesus’ birth with a call for lavish spending and competitive shopping. Perhaps followers of Jesus can at least find some meditative moments today for some soulful reflection on another Friday, the one we call Good. We have been freed from our sins by the loving death of Jesus, and have been made into a kingdom of priests, called to serve God in all that we do. Rather than focusing on material accumulation and battling crowds it might be more suitable to use this day in figuring out how we can share our wealth with the poor. Some helping organizations have catalogs that outline ways we can give gifts to people in third world countries. There’s no doubt that such holy giving will be a blessing, both to those who receive and those who give. It’s just the sort of thing that a kingdom of priests might be expected to do!

Thought for the Day: For whom will I be buying today?

Matthew 6:25-33

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” vs. 25

Today is the one day of the year when it’s more than likely that everyone in our country will have plenty to eat. All across the land there has been a concentrated effort to distribute turkeys, mashed potatoes, and gravy…people are giving many hours to feeding the homeless. For once poor people won’t have to worry about what they’re going to eat or drink. It would be good if all of us could feel that way every day, not only about food, but about all the other material things that make us anxious. We’d like to be able to take Jesus’ words to heart and live like the birds of the air or the lilies of the field. But most of us have a hard time living as he advised. Today we’ll be giving thanks for all manner of blessings…we’ll be gratefully acknowledging that we live with daily abundance. But still we have a tough time not worrying about our “stuff.” We’re told again and again that our lives will not be complete unless we’re up-to-date with the latest conveniences. And so we buy…and end up with houses full of more “stuff.” And Jesus tells to to slow down and be content…and when we can we make an amazing discovery! Life really is more than food, and the body more than clothing!

Thought for the Day: Where do I find my contentment?

Psalm 126

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.” vs. 3

People of every tribe and nation all around the world consistently take time in the course of a year for great celebrations of thanksgiving. Even when times have been bad, when drought and tragedy have come near, we’ve found reasons for giving thanks. Our persistence surely means that there’s a thanksgiving gene encoded in the spirals of our DNA. That’s certainly true for us as Christians. Our faith ancestors have quarreled about many things but all have taken time to give thanks and praise to God for the bounty of creation and the wonders of life. And it’s more than good manners, a habit instilled in us by our parents. We just know at the heart of our being that we are the beneficiaries of a generous and loving God…and nothing comes because of our own merit or worthiness. Everything we are and have is a gift! And the only response that makes sense is a simple “thanks” that comes not only from the lips but from the heart. And we’ll do this not only on our great national day of thanksgiving but every day of our lives. What a blessing it is to wake each morning with a prayer of gratitude on our lips! Not only have we had another night of rest, we now have a new day in which to revel in the precious gifts that God will strew on our way. Thanks be to God!

Thought for the Day: For what am I giving thanks today?

Psalm 93

“The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;” vs. 1

As the psalmist searched for ways to describe the power and majesty of the Lord he ended up using the word “king.” It meant something different in those days than it does now. For us it simply designates the head of the royal family in those few countries that still have monarchies. Such persons are generally rich but rarely wield any power. In the psalmist’s day kings were the most powerful people on earth, sometimes ruthless, but always operating from a position of strength. Multiply that a thousand times, so thought the psalmist, and you have a glimpse of what God is like. Even though we might think such human efforts to describe God are insufficient we will have to agree that God is greater than we can even begin to understand. This transcendent power defies our imagination and taxes our meager vocabularies…there is just no way to put God into words! That’s why the Word that God spoke to us in Jesus is so precious. In that Word we are reminded that the immutable, omnipotent God has enormous love for the creation and for us. That means that on the days when we despair of ever figuring out God we can at least give thanks and praise for Jesus. He is the Word from God, our Savior and our Lord…and we really don’t need anything else!

Thought for the Day: My favorite way of describing the majesty of God.

Daniel 7:9-10,13-14

“As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.” vs. 13

Some people love to analyze dreams. They believe that these night visions, as they’re called in Daniel, can reveal hidden fears and aspirations, that they can even serve as windows to our souls. If we happen to reveal our dreams to such persons we’re likely to get an interpretation, whether we wanted one or not. Occasionally what we’re told makes sense…at other times the interpretation is even stranger than the dream. Dreams show up regularly in our scriptures…people took them seriously and did believe they contained important truths. Daniel’s dreams had particular interest to early Christians who saw in them a connection to what they had experienced in Jesus. Some believed that Jesus was the Son of Man described here and used this passage to define his role as the coming King. They taught that Jesus in his resurrection had been given “dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” Some followers of Jesus continue to find such language helpful and often refer to him as the Lord. Many address him as such in their prayers…they’re convinced that he reigns over all and has the power to give them life now and forever. For them it’s not a dream! Jesus really is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords…and his reign is forever.

Thought for the Day: What have I learned from my dreams?

Mark 13:5-8

“Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray.’” vss. 5-6

In recent years we’ve become aware of the increasingly sophisticated methods that are being used in the media to promote misleading and even false information. We’ve learned that not everything we see on our computer screens is the truth…even that with which we are inclined to agree. Sadly, many deceivers have learned to mask their lies in religious language, and some have been remarkably successful in leading people astray. Jesus warned his disciples about such folks and his warnings are worth heeding today. The problem is that sometimes it’s really hard to discern the truth…the lies can sound so convincing…and we can easily be tricked into passing false information on to our friends. Fortunately we do have a solid sampling of Jesus’ deeds and teachings in our scriptures. We know his priorities… his intentions for our daily living were laid out pretty clearly in his sermon on the mount in Matthew. His words are challenging and plain…they’re not easily manipulated and they provide a good guide for making our way through the deceptions of the world wide web. The more familiar we are with the words of Jesus the easier it is to face the future with confidence and hope. He really is the Light of the World!

Thought for the Day: What is my most trusted news source?

Mark 13:1-4

“When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’” vss. 3-4

The view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives is spectacular. Every day busloads of pilgrims disembark from their tour buses to have their pictures taken with the old city as a backdrop. Of course now the featured building across the Kidron Valley is the Dome of the Rock and it stands right about where the temple stood in Jesus’ day. It’s not hard to imagine him stopping with his disciples at one of the viewpoints for rest and reflection. The view from a distance would have been even more astounding than standing on the temple mount itself. According to Mark Jesus told his disciples that one day there wouldn’t be one stone standing on another…it must have been hard for them to believe. Of course he was right…that’s generally how it is with all things we regard as imperishable. The tough part is predicting when the end is going to be…we look for signs but they’re pretty tough to read. The good news is that in Christ we find solid ground…a foundation that will stand forever. When the temple was destroyed in 70 AD followers of Jesus adjusted and found new ways to practice their faith. What seemed to be an ending was really a beginning.

Thought for the Day: Why do we think some things will last forever?