1 Kings 17:13-16

“She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days.” vs. 15

It’s easy to say, “Don’t worry, God will provide,” but it’s a lot harder to live that way. We all know that sometimes people in our world starve to death…sometimes people fall into bankruptcy and never recover. That’s just the way it is, so while we may have some degree of confidence in our economic position, most of us are never quite bold enough to say that we never worry about finances. That’s understandable…but what doesn’t make sense is our obsession with money when we’re among the richest people in the world! There are some who could support thousands of people with what they have in their portfolios…and still they crave more. The truth is that most of us have plenty enough for ourselves and even more to share. We’ve been so blessed with material wealth that it’s embarrassing! How good it is when we can be at peace with what we have and not go into shock every time the stock market falls. It’s even better when generosity becomes second nature and we are willing to part with our gains for the sake of others. Sometimes we even find that there’s more pleasure in giving money away than in accumulating it. Divorced from our material obsessions we can bask in the simple joys of being alive in this spectacular universe.

Thought for the Day: How much do I need to avoid financial anxiety?

1 Kings 17:6-12

“As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’”

The people of Israel had a whole series of Elijah stories that they told and then preserved in writing. They wanted their descendants to know about this incredible prophet who dared to speak truth to power in the days of Ahab and Jezebel. In one of those stories Elijah goes to a poor widow and asks for a drink of water…and when she complies, he ups the ante, asking for something to eat as well. We gasp at his effrontery…and then realize he’s exposing a great truth about hospitality: the greatest generosity is always seen among those who have the least to share. Often visitors to places where material prosperity is lacking have reported the same thing. Their hosts will shower them with gifts of food and drink even to the point of depriving themselves. The contrast with attitudes in our affluent society is stunning. We who live in the richest country on earth do all we can to preserve our excess. When the poor come to our door we blame them for their poverty and turn them away without a second thought. How dare they think that we might be willing to share? How wonderful it is to see believers who have been infused by a spirit of generosity…who buck the trends of materialism! In them we glimpse God’s vision for a world in which sharing is the norm, and not the exception!

Thought for the Day: What restrictions do I place on my generosity?

John 11:38-40

“Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’”

Martha had already established that she was a believer…she knew that Jesus was the messiah, the Son of God…but she also had solid credentials as a skeptic. When they got to the tomb she makes sure that Jesus knows that her brother was really dead, that he’d been in the tomb for four days and there was no hope he could be restored to health. But that doesn’t stop Jesus and he lets her know that those who believed could expect to see the glory of God…even if they were skeptics! For many believers Jesus’s words are the best news ever…because there’s a whole bunch of us who are brothers and sisters of Martha. We’re as skeptical about matters of life and death as she ever was! We’re committed to Jesus and acknowledge him as Christ, but we also know that dead is dead and once death comes there’s not a thing that can be done beyond the usual funeral service. That’s just the way it is in our world…and we’d be fools to expect anything else. And Jesus says to us, “Just wait…you believers are going to see the glory of God.” Think of it! Our skepticism can’t keep God from giving new life. Whether we understand it or not, when death finally comes, our name will be called and God will free us from the bondage of the grave.

Thought for the Day: Why is belief stronger than logic?

John 11:32-37

“But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’” vs. 37

When dread disease comes to someone in our network of acquaintances, out of love and concern, we offer prayers for the miracle of healing. And sometimes there is a cure…and the joy is intense. But other times, too often it seems, there isn’t a healing. We all know what that feels like…and tears flow freely…it’s what we do when death comes near. It’s in those moments that our skeptic friends might be thinking, (a couple might actually say it), “How come Jesus didn’t answer your prayers and provide a miraculous healing?” It’s a good question, one that we’re hard-pressed to answer in any satisfactory way. The truth is that we don’t know why some are healed and others aren’t…healing is always mysterious. What we do know is that the tears are natural and good…it’s what Jesus did when Lazarus died. And we also know from Jesus that the weeping isn’t the end of the story. The final chapter is yet to come…and we’ve been assured that there is going to be a joyful ending. It’s that good news that sustains us in our moments of sadness…the tears are only temporary, an honest reflection of pain and loss. Beyond them comes the morning and the arrival of joy. For all of us there is a time to live and a time to die…and then a time to live again. Thanks be to God!

Thought for the Day: When has weeping been most intense for me?

Revelations 21:4-6a

“he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” vs. 4

We all know people who have, for one reason or another, absorbed more than their share of pain and sorrow in the course of their lives. Marriages fail, illness stalks, families disappoint, and one sad day is followed by another. And sometimes all this is accompanied by depression and spiritual malaise. For such persons life is much more of a burden than it is a joy and some even begin to look toward death as a compelling option. We might wish that life was not like this…that everyone would be guaranteed a lifetime of good health, pleasure, and success. But we know that isn’t the case…not everyone gets the same benefits or breaks from life and suffering is not spread equally among us. But for people of faith there remains one great truth: when death does come for us, as it undoubtedly will, it’s not the end of the story. We know that in Christ death has been overcome and new life awaits. Tears will be wiped away from sad eyes…and the cloud of depression will be lifted. There will be no more mourning and crying and pain and as we enter the shelter of the divine we will experience perfect peace. What joy it brings to know that life is more than what meets the eye…and the best is yet to come!

Thought for the Day: What happens for those who die by suicide?

Revelation 21:1-3

“And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” vs. 2

The book of Revelation speaks to the imagination of our hearts with its vivid pictures and symbols of the time to come. Never intended to be taken literally, it describes the ultimate victory of God over all the forces of sin, and promises that one day God’s kingdom will come in all its fullness. Through the years it has provided the images for our celebration of All Saints Day…we love those pictures of white-robed saints celebrating life before the throne of God. Today as we remember loved ones who have died it gives comfort to know that they now have life in all its fullness. Death has had no power over them. Even though they have been taken from us they have been received in the arms of the everlasting Shepherd where they know perfect peace.Though it’s impossible to know with certainty what that new life is like, (language is impotent in describing what lies beyond our experience), and our images will be different, ultimately it’s enough for us to know that they are safe with Jesus. Revelation describes that new life as a new creation, a new beginning, and assures us that the light of the world will never be extinguished. What a blessing it is to know that our lives, which seem to be speeding toward an ending, will instead experience re-creation!

Thought for the Day: What saints are on my mind today?

Psalm 24:7-10

“Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.” vs. 7

Those responsible for temple rituals in Jerusalem developed liturgies that could be used for special occasions and festivals. Fragments of those liturgies can be found in the psalms…they provide us windows into the worship practices of our ancestral faith community. Psalm 24 describes a kind of entrance ritual that involved a call for holiness on the part of worshippers and a ceremonial opening of the doors so that the King of glory might come in. It’s a reminder that worship is a holy activity that involves an encounter with the divine presence. Now it is true that God is never absent from us and is present in every time and circumstance. But it’s also true that there are occasions when we can expect more of a direct encounter with God, and corporate worship is intended to be one of those times. Well designed liturgies can lead us to contemplate the Mystery in deep and fulfilling ways. Songs, hymns, prayers, scripture readings, and sermons work together to give an experience of God that is beyond the ordinary. It’s really not a time for casual conversation or checking in with friends…that happens before or after the service. Worship calls for focus…a time to open our hearts and minds to the presence of God. As we meditate, watch, and listen, doors are lifted up and God comes close…and our famished souls are fed.

Thought for the Day: What happens for me during worship?

Psalm 24:1-6

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.” vss. 3-4

Election day is fast approaching and for some of us it can’t get here soon enough! We are so tired of the endless litany of accusations being tossed back and forth by rival candidates…the political advertisements seem to be nothing more than steady streams of mistruths, misrepresentations, and outright lies. It would seem that our would-be leaders have taken leave of any pretense to being people of faith. We wonder how anyone who takes holiness seriously could completely abandon decency for the sake of winning office. The psalmist calls us back to God’s standards as he asks, “Who shall stand in his holy place?”  His answer is unequivocal. “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false.” Admittedly all of us are sinners….it is the human condition…but that’s no excuse for the abysmal behavior we see being exhibited all around. Lying has become commonplace…and trust has been eroded. Oh how we long for honesty and integrity in our leaders! We can only pray that people of faith will stand strong in the face of the erosion of values. We know a better way…and we are blessed when we walk in the way of the Lord!

Thought for the Day: How clean are my hands? How pure is my heart?

Isaiah 25:6-9

“And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever.” vs. 7

A long, long time ago the prophet had the sense that there was more to the cycle of life than meets the eye. It wasn’t just a matter of being born, living for a time, and then dying. There just had to be more than that…God doesn’t bring things into being just to have them annihilated. So the prophet envisioned a final day in which the fullness of God would be revealed and God would throw a party for all people…there would be food and drink aplenty and no one would be left out. And then the great enemy of humanity, death, would be swallowed up forever. In the end life would be victorious! This is a remarkable vision, one worth hanging on to in troubled times. Sometimes as we move along through our days it seems like the same sorry story is being repeated again and again. We grow inexorably older…friends and family members age along with us…and one by one death picks people off. A grandparent, a mom or dad, a friend…one day they’re with us and the next they’re gone. But that’s not the whole story. One glorious day we’ll be together again…we’ll be alive, and death will be gone, swallowed up by God forever!

Thought for the Day: Why is death such a fierce enemy?

John 8:34-36

“Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin…So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’” vss. 34, 36

There’s not a lot of talk about sin in our day…it’s almost as though it has ceased to be a factor in our daily living. Oh, we still acknowledge mistakes and know that sometimes we do dumb stuff, but in general, we don’t say that we’re caught up in sinning. The language itself seems old-fashioned…we’d rather talk about psychological or genetic factors that have led us to behave poorly…and it’s always handy to blame our parents for our failures. Some people are particularly interested in getting rid of the whole notion of guilt. They say it’s outmoded, a tool developed by religious folks to keep people in line, and that’s it’s about time for the human race to declare its independence from ancient moral codes and biblical fairy tales. It’s an interesting thought but there’s nothing in human history to indicate that there has been any moral improvement. We keep on doing the same hurtful things to ourselves and others as we have for thousands of years. Changing our vocabulary isn’t going to help one bit. Sin by any other name is still sin…and the only solution available is forgiveness. No wonder people continue to be drawn to Jesus! When he makes us free…forgiveness and guilt are wiped away…and we are truly free!

Thought for the Day: What is my definition of sin?