2 Corinthians 12:2-5

“I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows…” vs. 2

Sometimes it would be nice to be able to quiz Paul about some of the things he wrote…and this is one of those moments. It’s generally accepted that he is referring here to an experience that he had some years before, a deeply spiritual experience where he got a glimpse of the third heaven or Paradise. It’s impossible to know what happened…this is the only place he speaks of it…and it seems he did that quite deliberately. He didn’t want anyone to think he was boasting! Evidently there were quite a number of super-Christians in Corinth who didn’t hesitate to let everyone know about their profound spiritual experiences. We know the type! These are the folks we run across from time to time who seem to have it all together in their God relationship. They exude piety to the core of their being and almost always leave us feeling like we’re spiritual midgets. Paul knew such types…and in this passage tells them that he could tell a story that would top any of theirs…but he chooses not too. Instead he speaks only of his weaknesses…because that’s how we connect with one another. It’s our weaknesses that bind us together and not our strengths! And as we have courage to share our flaws, our congregations become our homes!

Thought for the Day: My most profound spiritual experience!

Psalm 123

“As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us.” vs. 2

We don’t know where the psalmist fit into the social echelon of his day, but we can be pretty sure he wasn’t near the top…because he’s had his fill of the scorn of those at ease and the contempt of the proud. Some of us know what that’s like…we’ve even learned to stay away from the parts of town where we know we don’t belong. Sometimes we don’t even know the markers, the little things that identify our social class, e.g. the fact that one would never pour red wine into a white wine glass. Some of us just drink our bottom shelf specials from paper cups…and never think anything of it. We just don’t know all the rules. Often those distinctions are laughable but sometimes the contempt and scorn can begin to hurt…especially when our pride is wounded. The psalmist reminds us that we all have one Lord…and it’s only the Lord’s opinion that matters…and so we wait upon the Lord, always trusting that there will be plenty of mercy and love to go around. With God there are no classes of people…there is no favoritism for the rich and famous…if anything God has a thing for ordinary folks, the people in our society that everyone else ignores. After all Jesus was born in a stable and not a palace!

Thought for the Day: Where do I fit into the social echelon?

Ezekiel 2:1-5

“The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’” vs. 4

Ezekiel was minding his own business when God told him to get up on his feet and go as a prophet to the people of Israel, a nation of rebels who had rebelled against God. There is no promise that anyone will listen…but at least they would have heard a prophet. When we read stories like this we can’t help but wonder if God might one day send a prophet to our country. Or maybe that wouldn’t be necessary for us. After all we’ve got plenty of people calling themselves Christians operating in congress and in the cabinet. Maybe everything is just fine and we don’t need prophets…maybe our country is already operating in godly ways. We’ve already got the strongest military forces in the world and as long as Second Amendment rights are protected and the wealthy continue to prosper, what complaint could God possibly have? The only reason he was angry at Israel was that they were a bunch of losers and let themselves be conquered. We’re not like that at all…there’s nobody in the world who is going to push us around! For many these are marks of American exceptionalism, a sign that we are the new people of God. For others questions remain. They wonder about about kindness, humility, and justice for the poor? What would a prophet like Amos say to us? What did Jesus say?

Thought for the Day: What is American Exceptionalism all about?

Mark 5:35-43

“He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum,’ which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement.” vss 41-42

On the surface this is another miracle story, the raising of a little girl from the dead. There are other instances of things like this in the gospels and sometimes they leave us wondering. Did this really happen or did Mark just make it up to show how great Jesus was? It’s natural to think like this but the moment we ask such questions we miss the point of Mark’s message. He wants his readers to know that Jesus is the life-giver, that with the coming of Jesus death has lost its sting. Obviously when someone dies there is bound to be weeping and mourning…it’s what we do in the presence of death. But that’s not the end of the story! It isn’t that we should expect that healers in our day should be able to make dead people live again. That just doesn’t happen…though there are countless stories floating around of people insisting that such things are possible…and we’d like for those stories to be true. But in our hearts we know that there’s a cold finality to death…and it’s going to come for each of us. But Mark tells us that in Christ things are different…and there’s more to the story than meets the eye…and one day new life will amaze us all.

Thought for the Day: What do I imagine the new life to be like?

Mark 5:21-34

“He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’” vs. 34

Wherever Jesus went in his Galilean ministry he attracted crowds who had heard of his healing touch. They brought family members and friends, and came expecting that Jesus could heal them. And many times that’s exactly what happened. Our ideas about healing have changed somewhat in the last 2000 years. We’re more likely now to search out credentialed and well-trained physicians or go to a clinic for our healing. But one thing has not changed, and that’s the part played by faith. Both patients and doctors are aware that there’s more involved in healing than technical skill or appropriate medicines. The surgeon can make the proper cuts but the mending of tissues is the work of God…and that’s the way it’s always been. It’s not that we should leave doctors out of the equation and just search out the faith healers…that would be foolishness indeed. But neither should we ever discount the power or efficacy of faithful prayer. Of course it’s a mystery…many times our prayers seem to be in vain…and often people who don’t have faith are healed. We’ll never be able to figure those things out. But not understanding the power of God is no reason to think that it doesn’t play a big part in healing. In the Body of Christ prayers for healing will always be a part of our life together.

Thought for the Day: Who needs God’s healing today?  

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

“And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something—now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.” vss. 10-11

Paul was not only an evangelist, he was the stewardship director in the early church. There had been a severe famine and Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were starving. Paul believed that believers in the Greek congregation, because they were a part of the Body of Christ, had an obligation to give offerings to those who were in need. In this letter he urges the Corinthians,who had begun the collection during the previous year, to complete it according to their means. Requests for money such as this are often resisted in our congregations. When the focus of the entire culture is on accumulation and our leaders brag about their massive wealth, generosity has a way of sliding to the back burner, even among people of faith. Most of us have learned to live with abundance beyond our expectations and even regard it as our due reward. Ironically, the more we have the more difficult it becomes to give…and  the wealth that should have been a blessing becomes a curse. Our motto becomes “In Money We Trust,” and the dollar becomes our god. Paul would have understood…and he would have railed against it. Greed is always an affront to the gospel.

Thought for the Day: How do I rationalize my abundance?

Psalm 30:8-12

“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?” vs. 9

Resurrection was a foreign concept to the psalmist. He believed that those who died went to Sheol, the place of the dead, and that it was a place of darkness. He would have agreed with those who say, “When you’re dead, you’re dead. That’s it!” Yet in his words we also see a strong conviction that God is all about life…and many of us will agree. We cannot believe that the great Author of Life would allow death to have the last word. We have the sense that this thing we call life has persistence and cannot be obliterated. Of course we don’t know the shape or form of that continuing life, but we do not doubt its existence. In fact belief in life beyond death is the central teaching of the Christian church. But even as we celebrate our faith in resurrection the psalmist’s words resonate with us. He understood the value of life in this world and so do we. That’s why we tenaciously fight for life in the face of death. We seek cures for diseases and the end of famines…we want every person who has life in this world to enjoy it to the fullest. We can’t deny the reality of death but most of us would like to delay it as long as we can…and only then move on to the new life promised by Jesus.

Thought for the Day: When is it okay to let death have its way?

Psalm 30:1-7

“For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” vs. 5

The psalmist was in a good mood as he composed these words of thanksgiving and praise. There had been a crisis, perhaps an illness that had brought him to death’s door, but then he had experienced healing, and he wanted everyone to know how happy he was. He even has some encouraging words for us! He believed that in the course of a lifetime there would be occasions for grief and sadness. And since God was intimately involved in every part of life he attributed those down times to God’s anger. But then he’s quick to add that God’s favor overrides any anger that might have been present. God’s love is eternal and steadfast. And then he adds these marvelous words, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” We might not share the psalmist’s conviction that bad things happen because God is mad at us, but we can certainly identify with his feelings about weeping and joy. This is our great consolation in moments of tragedy and pain…the tears that flow so freely are only temporary. Soon the day will come when we awaken with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts. And on that morning we will join the psalmist in offering words of thanks and praise.

Thought for the Day: What feelings do I have in the morning?

Lamentations 3:27-33

“Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.” vss. 32-33

Those of us with parents who didn’t believe in sparing the rod may have heard them say these words, “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” Somehow hearing those words in that context failed to take away the sting or lessen the tears. While that mode of discipline has thankfully fallen into disfavor, there was logic in that parental thinking. To some extent it actually reflects the way we experience God in daily living. There are consequences for bad behavior…and sometimes there will be pain and grief. It’s even possible to attribute that grief to God. We could even say that God gives us a spanking from time to time…but not because God wants to cause us pain. Rather the discipline comes out of a deep and a profound love, a love that will last forever. Loving parents who paddled their children weren’t trying to hurt them…and it could very well be that the experience was deeply painful for them. But they wanted their children to learn proper behavior…they wanted them to be good people. Obviously corporal punishment is often abused…and we would be wise to find others ways to provide discipline. But we should never forget that the best lessons are usually accompanied by tears.

Thought for the Day: What part has spanking played in my development?

Lamentations 3:22-26

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” vss. 22-23

The writer of Lamentations had endured the total destruction of Jerusalem and experienced first hand the raw brutality of a powerful conqueror. The temple had been destroyed along with all the palaces and fine homes of the city. The people had experienced famine and starvation. The promised Day of the Lord had come and the devastation was complete. Israel was vanquished! And in the midst of that suffering the prophet dares to write, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases…” Out of the turmoil came words that have brought hope to countless suffering believers. They contain a great truth, one that we continue to experience in our times of lament and challenge. Ugly hard times will come to us. Death and disease seem to stalk us at every turn…but they’re momentary visitors. The pain is there for today but tomorrow will bring the mercies of the Lord. God’s faithfulness never ends. Even if everything we’ve held dear is taken from us God’s steadfast love never ceases. When the darkness passes the morning light will dawn and we will know once more that we are loved and cherished…and daily signs of that love will give peace and our tears will be replaced by shouts of joy.

Thought for the Day: Where have I found hope in my suffering?