Mark 6:14-20

“for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.” vs. 20

Generally we can say that most people share Herod’s feelings about prophets. We know that they speak passionately for justice and that their motives are generally pure…and we like it that in our country they have protected first amendment rights and can freely speak out. But sometimes the things they say hit a little close to home…Herod thought John had crossed the line with his critique of Herod’s marriage. It’s true! Sometimes we think prophets are too critical of things that we hold dear…and there are times we’d just like them to keep their mouths shut. Some of us have felt this way about pastors when they adopt a prophetic style in preaching and start messing with our sacred cows…we want to tell them to keep politics out of the pulpit. But Herod just couldn’t keep from listening. He knew in his heart that John was probably right…and his perplexities likely kept him up at night. Occasionally prophets do get through to us…and sometimes we even change our minds. But most of the time like Herod we figure out a way to tune them out or shut them up…but when the prophet has been speaking the truth, sooner or later, we’re going to hear those accusing words again. God doesn’t go away!

Thought for the Day: A prophet I’d love to tune out!

Ephesians 1:11-14

“In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;” vs. 13

It’s likely no accident that the words of this verse remind us of what is said following baptism in many of our congregations, “You have been marked with the cross of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit.” From the very beginning this has been the whole point of being received into the Church through Holy Baptism. It’s our mark of authenticity, like a Good Housekeeping seal that we wear on our foreheads throughout our lives. Baptism is the one thing that we can’t mess up because it’s entirely the work of God, a magnificent sign of grace and unconditional love. Of course, because we’re human we can get confused…and sometimes even attach conditions for baptism into Christ. Because many come to baptism through faith it’s tempting to think it’s only for those who are already believers…and even today’s verse seems to back that up. But in that case infant baptisms would be invalid and we’d lose the most spectacular celebrations of grace we can ever see…the regular baptisms of infants in worship! It’s just best not to fight about such things. Of course faith is important. Through faith parents bring their children for baptism. Through faith we remain connected to Jesus. But grace is the linchpin! Whatever age baptism comes…it’s always the seal of God’s grace!

Thought for the Day: What blessing does remembering baptism bring?

Ephesians 1:3-10

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.” vss. 7-8a

The writer to the Ephesians can scarcely contain himself as he begins his letter to his friends in Ephesus. He has come to an explosive and expansive understanding of God’s grace and love and pours out his amazing conclusions in his introductory paragraph. He believes that the people reading this letter are the adoptive children of God and that they have been destined to live pure and blameless lives in Christ Jesus in whom they have received, totally by grace, the entire forgiveness of all of their sins. He undoubtedly believed that this would be the best news they could ever receive. And he is, of course, right! This is the Good News of God in a nutshell…and the message has changed the lives of billions of people. Of course the writer had more to say and he goes on to give his perspective on other matters of faith and life in the rest of his letter. But this is the meat, the core of what we believe! How sad it is when we get caught up in congregational controversies and church disputes and forget the incredible richness that is ours as the children of God. All are loved by God! Forgiveness belongs to all! As cleansed saints we have the power to transform the world…and bit by bit we’re doing it! All praise and glory to God!

Thought for the Day: What are some signs that the world is changing for good?

Psalm 85:8-13

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” vs. 8

So what happens when we tire of our fixations on sports and the economy, when we’re fed up with arguments about global warming and politics and realize that what we think or believes doesn’t mean a stinking thing? What would happen then…if in our frustration and hopelessness we finally tuned into God instead of cable news and then took time to really listen? The psalmist has done exactly that…and gives an encouraging outlook. He says that we’ll hear a word of peace and our faithfulness will be rewarded with an overwhelming shower of steadfast love. God’s righteousness will become our righteousness and our perspective will be transformed. No matter how we look at this good news, whether from the left or the right, we can’t help but be lifted up! Unless of course we refuse to believe it and turn again to the senseless divisive drivel  that has become the daily diet of our culture and society! How sad it is when we spend our days on this beautiful remote island in the corner of the Milky Way focusing on fear and hate when we could be enjoying one another’s company and reveling in the glow of God’s amazing grace. Fortunately the faithful do see the sanity of the psalmist’s perspective and do take the time to listen and learn…and even in turbulent times their lives are filled with peace.

Thought for the Day: Where do I hear God’s loving words most clearly?

Amos 7:10-15

“Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”’” vss. 14-15

The biggest problem that the Bethel elites had with Amos was that he was an interloper from Judah. Amaziah, the priest, tells him to go back south and prophesy there. King Jeroboam likely had a whole stable of prophets who could stroke his ego and give him advice that pleased his ear. He certainly didn’t need a prophet of doom. But Amos protested. He wasn’t a professional prophet…he was a man of the soil and his message had come directly from the Lord. He was in Bethel because the Lord wanted him there…and he was going to keep talking until someone listened. Now as it turned out, no one listened to Amos…no changes were made and Israel was destroyed. That’s generally how it was for true prophets. No one paid any attention until it was too late. It’s only after disaster that the prophet was remembered…and then people lamented, “If only we had listened!” And here’s the curious thing. That next generation wrote down the words of that prophet and regarded them as scripture! The feeling seems to have been, “Our forefathers didn’t listen to God…but we’re going to learn from their mistakes.” We’re blessed to have the words of dozens of those failed prophets in our scripture. The big question is, “Will we pay any attention?”

Thought for the Day: Why do prophets continue to be unpopular?

Amos 7:7-9

“And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by…’” vs. 8

Amos came from Judah (the Southern Kingdom) to Israel (the Northern Kingdom) with a message of impending judgment from the Lord. It was a time of great prosperity in Israel but in spite of opposition Amos persisted in pointing out the ways the nation had deviated from God’s plan for righteousness and justice. Here he uses the image of a plumb line, a carpenter’s tool for determining if a wall is perfectly vertical, to imply that Israel had tilted away from the Lord’s standards. He tells the people that God’s patience is at an end…judgment will be coming soon. Of course few paid any attention to what Amos said at the time…when things are going well and the economy is strong it’s easy for a country to overlook deficiencies. And all nations find it hard to change momentum once a direction has been established. Even in democracies reforms are elusive. Many prefer the comfort of the status quo to the uncertainties of change. And then there’s the constant debate about what God’s standards are…who can really know what God wants for our country? It would be nice to have a visit from Amos…or would it? Many think we’d be as unlikely to listen as was Israel!

Thought for the Day: What advice might Amos have for the rich and powerful?

Mark 6:7-13

“So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” vss. 12-13

After the debacle in Nazareth, it appears that Jesus doubled down. He saw his rejection as an anomaly and was convinced that his early Galilean efforts at proclaiming the kingdom could be expanded…and that his disciples could do more than just follow him around. They were ready for mission and after authorizing them to do his work, he sent them out. Not much is known about the long term results of that early activity…after initial success it probably fizzled out with the perceived failure of Jesus’ mission. But the pattern was never forgotten by the early church. After the resurrection countless disciples, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and infected by the presence of the Risen Christ, went out into the villages, towns, and cities of the entire Roman empire and beyond. And everywhere they proclaimed a gospel of grace and repentance and backed it up with ministries of healing and love. Since then the Church has had more than its share of demonic setbacks and distortions…too often the unscrupulous have corrupted the pure message of love with their lust for power and gain. But the light has never gone out and Jesus’ words continue to be heard. And now it’s our turn. We have the power and we’ve been authorized to go with the gospel to battle the demons and bring healing to the hurting. We are Christ’s presence in the world!

Thought for the Day: How seriously do I take my call?

Mark 6:4-6

“And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.” vss. 5-6a

As Jesus had moved along the Sea of Galilee in the initial stages of his mission he had been amazed at the faith of those who came to him for healing. They came trusting that he would be able to do something for them…and he didn’t let them down. Always there was a touch with a word of love and many were cured…it had been an amazing demonstration. But in his hometown things were different. A few came for healing but this time Jesus was amazed at the level of unbelief he saw…it actually rendered him powerless! He could heal any disease, even restore life, but he couldn’t cure unbelief! Some of us have had that experience with unbelievers…frequently members of our own families. We bring them for baptism, do our best to cultivate faith in them, pray for them regularly, and then they turn away.. And there’s nothing that we can say or do to change their minds. Oh we might be able to guilt them into Easter or Christmas worship but we know that in their daily lives there just isn’t room for faith. Sometimes we feel guilty, but the truth is that we can’t make believers out of anyone…not even Jesus could do that. All we’re called to do is to keep on loving them…and know in our hearts that God loves them too. And really, that’s what matters most!

Thought for the Day: What if my loved one never becomes a believer?

Mark 6:1-3

“‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him.” vs. 3

We don’t know what Jesus was expecting when he brought his teaching and healing ministry back to his hometown. Obviously word of what he’d been up to had filtered back to his family and old friends and you’d think they would have been impressed. But they weren’t! They took offense…it wasn’t that they weren’t astounded by his power and wisdom…he just didn’t have the proper credentials! His pedigree was too ordinary. He was a carpenter! What could he possibly know about the kingdom of God and salvation? He hadn’t even been to rabbinical school! Some of us still have a thing about these issues. We’re quick to discount the testimony of the ordinary people around us. In this age of televangelists countless pastors have been discounted for their ordinariness…why listen to a fumbling preacher who reads sermons when we can tune in handsome eloquent charmers backed by a chorus of beautiful talented musicians? Some of them have even written books! A few even produce daily devotionals! Oh what we miss by blocking out the words of grace that come through our uncredentialed neighbors and acquaintances. It’s in their presence that we can experience the workshop of the Carpenter and are touched by the unvarnished love and power of God.

Thought for the Day: An ordinary person in whom I smell the grace of God.

2 Corinthians 12:6-9

“Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’” vss. 8-9a

People have long wondered about Paul’s thorn in the flesh and have offered countless possibilities ranging from the plausible (eye issues) to the speculative (doubts or unbelief.) Of course we really don’t know…Paul says only that he considered it a messenger from Satan and that he prayed for God to take it from him. The phrase has made its way into popular usage in our time and it’s not unusual to hear people talk about their own particular “thorn in the flesh.” Generally it refers to some aggravating and irritable condition that we have to deal with in the course of living. Paul never had his thorn removed, a reminder that sometimes we just have to learn to put up with stuff in this world. Paul considered that his weakness made him more dependent on God’s power and grace, and we often find this to be true. Those who have to struggle on their journey seem to develop a deep sense of humility. They simply know that everything they have and everything they are is a gift…and because things haven’t been easy for them they exude appreciation in every moment. Not all their prayers have been answered…their thorns remain an irritant and a bother…but they keep on praising and glorifying God for the grace of life itself…and they’re always welcome companions on the Way.

Thought for the Day: What’s my thorn in the flesh?