1 John 1:8-2:2

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” vss. 8-9

These verses from First John are a perfect synopsis of what faithful followers of Jesus believe about sin and forgiveness. It really isn’t complicated! No matter what we might believe about healthy egos and positive self-esteem, all of us are sinners. No matter what our politics or station in life everyone sins…and if we say we don’t, we’ve added lying to the list! Now there are some who are willing to admit this while doing nothing about it. They live with their sin and don’t seem to mind the burden of guilt…there are even those who don’t seem to have a conscience. But most of us carry a certain amount of guilt, and we don’t like it! It’s a horrible burden, particularly when it’s linked with shame, and we crave to be set free. John tells us that freedom from sin and guilt comes through simple confession, acknowledging the sin and throwing ourselves on the mercies of God. And because God is faithful and just, those sins are forgiven and we are cleansed from all unrighteousness. That’s why followers of Jesus show up at worship week after week. It feels so good to know that we are loved in spite of ourselves and that we get constant fresh starts from our loving God.

Thought for the Day: What sins do I most frequently confess?

1 John 1:5-7

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” vs. 5

Often we use the word “God” with little thought to its meaning. For some it’s simply an expletive or an interjection, an expression of surprise or astonishment. Others attach anthropomorphic images and imagine an exalted human-like being who lives in heaven or someplace “up there.” Their God has moods and emotions, enormous power, and can be contacted through prayer. For most of us God is more nuanced and mysterious…pretty much beyond human understanding. We believe that aspects of God have been revealed in Jesus and that we can get some notions of God’s power by looking at the creation. John describes God as light and it’s an apt metaphor. We’re familiar with light but even the best of us have a hard time understanding exactly what it is. Light greets us in the morning, is with us through the day, and then disappears at night…but John isn’t talking about that kind of light. For him it has no direct connection with the sun and in fact existed before there even was a sun, moon, or stars. It stands in contrast to darkness and apart from creation and has unfathomable power and energy…enough to generate the “Big Bang” and bring all things into existence. Consequently most of the ways in which we describe God are ultimately inadequate…which as it should be. It’s enough to say that God is light and let it go at that!

Thought for the Day: What’s my favorite way to describe God?

1 John 1:1-4

“We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” vs. 4

Those familiar with the different social media platforms know all about sharing. Anytime we see a photo or an article that we like, we can hit “share” and immediately all our friends and contacts will see what we’ve seen…and sometimes they’ll even “like” what we have sent. The writer of First John didn’t have the capacity to pass on ideas via smart phones and personal computers but he certainly understood the importance of sharing. In his community the good news that Jesus was the Christ, the Word of God, had brought unity and peace. Believers had experienced hope and forgiveness in unprecedented ways…they regularly celebrated the new life that knowing Jesus had brought them. And now it was time to pass on that good news to others. As John sat down to write he discovered still another blessing…he realized that as he shared what he had come to believe his own joy was brought to completion. In other words, joy is not complete unless it is shared! Joy that is stifled or privatized will quickly dissipate. Those who are comfortable in talking about matters of personal faith know that feeling. To put it plainly, it feels good to share the good news of Jesus with others. And when we can do the sharing with grace and a non-judgmental spirit our joy is both completed and magnified.

Thought for the Day: A time when sharing has brought me greater joy.

Psalm 133

“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” vs. 1

Our rugged individualism can be a big problem when it comes to our relationship with God. Often it leads us to emphasize our personal connection to Jesus, as though that were the only thing that mattered. Obviously there is a personal element to faith that cannot be denied, but scripture consistently stresses the importance of life in community. The psalmist, writing 2500 years ago, affirms “how very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” We know well from our own experience that his words are true and we all yearn for the personal connections that he describes. But it’s not easy! There are so many roadblocks to unity and for a variety of reasons we often find ourselves at odds with one another. Sometimes we can even get so angry that we can scarcely tolerate the least bit of interaction. We have contrary political, religious, and social convictions and the rightness of our own position keeps us isolated…and as we continue to assert those opinions our sense of isolation increases. What a blessing it is when our common connection to Jesus leads us to value friendship over our need to be right! In those moments our words of affection and kindness shatter the differences and give the unity our hearts desire. Through the centuries these pockets of sweet community have helped countless believers find the tangible love and companionship that every human craves.

Thought for the Day: What is my community?

Acts 4:32-35

“There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.” vs. 34

For many American Christians capitalism and individualism have become central tenets of faith. Among some there is even a general suspicion of welfare and governmental programs to help the poor and needy. According to them people have to learn how to take care of themselves without outside assistance. Early followers of Jesus had an opposite perspective. They eschewed private property and held that believers should hold all things in common. We might call them radical socialists. Somewhere in the course of the centuries that notion has fallen by the wayside…seldom do we see modern Christians selling what they own and giving it for the benefit of the community. As a result of that shift a central biblical principle has become endangered and we’re losing our communitarian spirit! Many believers no longer put the needs of others before their own…and sharing is what they do with their excess. It’s so stretch to say that the triumph of individualism in our culture has severely challenged the ethics of Christian living. When we take care of ourselves first we miss the opportunity to encounter Christ in the hungry, the homeless, and the naked, the one place he has promised to meet us. God has blessed our world with incredible riches…and those blessings are meant to be shared!  It’s the essence of Easter living!

Thought for the Day: Why are so many Americans suspicious of socialism?

Mark 16:1-8

“So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” vs. 8

The three women, two Mary’s and Salome, were completely flummoxed by their Sunday morning encounter with the young man at the tomb. Since Saturday had been the sabbath this was their first opportunity to do one final act of love for Jesus. They’d awakened before dawn, purchased spices, and by time the sun had risen fully they were at the tomb. They were going to do for their dead friend what custom dictated. This was something familiar, a ritual that had been practiced for centuries. What happened at the tomb jolted them to the core and left them speechless. They quite literally had no vocabulary to describe what took place and simply fled. We can’t be too harsh with them because we too have a tough time articulating the essence of resurrection. Because it lies outside the realm of ordinary human experience there are no adequate descriptive words. But like the women ultimately we do say something…even if it’s something foolish like, “Alleluia, Christ is risen. Alleluia!” And with those words we articulate the good news that has fueled faith from the beginning. The chains of death have been broken. Life persists. And today billions of believers give voice to shouts of celebration! It really is the best news ever!

Thought for the Day: What is the new life in Christ like?

Isaiah 12:2-6

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.” vs. 2

For some the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter is undefined and we’re not quite sure what to do with it. In our culture, because Easter is usually given holiday status, it can be a day to deal with families, spring break, play-off games, and any number of diversions. In our congregations altar guilds make good use of it in getting sanctuaries ready for Easter morning…and sometimes musicians need some extra rehearsal time for all of Sunday’s festive music. Spiritually it represents the interval between death and life…and could be a good way to think of our in-between existence. In truth, we all live under the shadow of the cross and death regularly reminds us of its dark presence. Sometimes it only haunts the periphery of our consciousness and we’re barely aware that it’s waiting. At other times it hovers closely and its stench is inescapable. The good news is that Easter is coming, it’s as close as tomorrow, and on that day death will be no more. In our Saturday existence we can’t see it fully, but like the psalmist, we continue to trust in God and not be afraid. Salvation has come, is now, and will be there full force on Sunday morning. The Lord God is our strength and our might!

Thought for the Day: What are my Easter morning expectations?

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” vs. 5

The message of Good Friday can be overwhelming and it’s hard to know what to make of the central story of our faith. Each of the gospels tells the story in slightly different fashion, and much has been made of those differences, but there is no denying that the crucifixion is the core of the narrative. It seems obvious that Jesus’ death took his followers by surprise and that they struggled with how to make sense of it. No one had ever suggested that the promised messiah would be arrested, tortured, and killed as a common criminal. His ministry was supposed to end in triumph and not in tragedy! Those early disciples found their answer in the words of the prophet Isaiah. He was describing Israel as a suffering servant but they applied his message to Jesus…and the description fit. For the first time they began to understand what Jesus had been trying to tell them…and ever since then the suffering of Good Friday has been seen as integral to the salvation of humanity. It’s still hard to understand how Jesus’ wounds can make us whole…it doesn’t resonate with logic for many…but it’s the mystery that gives the cross its power. It’s because we don’t get it that we are drawn to contemplation…and in our meditation God speaks to our souls…and we are healed.

Thought for the Day: How does the cross touch my heart?

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” vs. 26

Families that eat together have amazing resiliency and develop connections that last for a lifetime. The same is true of our faith communities as we gather regularly for the  eating and drinking that is so central in our life together. Way back at the very beginning when Jesus gathered his disciples around the table, took the bread and the cup, prayed, and declared this ordinary food and drink to be his continuing presence for believers, he established the central ritual of the Christian faith. At the Table there’s no arguing about doctrine or belief, we simply come confessing our sins for a simple meal of bread and wine. What happens in that meal is intensely personal…and it doesn’t depend on the quality of the bread or the brand of the wine. The ritual itself varies from congregation to congregation…it can be by intinction, individual glasses, or the common cup. But at the center of every gathering is the Real Presence of the Christ. He is the host and he never failed to satisfy our deepest spiritual needs. Sermons can flop, soloists can go off key, but Jesus doesn’t let us down. The Word of Love that was incarnate in his life and ministry is enfleshed in us through the eating and the drinking…and we know for certain that we are loved and forgiven.

Thought for the Day: What feelings do I have as I take communion?

Hebrews 12:1-3

“Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.” vs. 3

From time to time we encounter people who have grown weary or lost heart as the years go by. They’re discouraged by the direction of politics and sense that things are changing quickly. Very soon, they tell themselves and whoever will listen, this country will fall apart and everything we’ve held dear will be lost. They’re sad, angry, and depressed…and their mood is infectious. A moment in their presence is like entering a dark cloud and we look for reasons to avoid prolonged conversation. The writer to the Hebrews had had experience with such folks and tells his readers to focus their minds and hearts on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of their faith…and it’s not a bad idea for us to do the same. There are going to be pitfalls and challenges on our journeys through life, but millions of people have gone this way before us…and now this great cloud of witnesses is cheering us on. Because of their testimony and the example of Jesus we know that the future is secure, provided that we don’t get bogged down in the present. The things that are upsetting to us are nothing when compared to the joy of living in Christ. Blessed are those who can keep their eyes on Jesus, the true light in our world of darkness.

Thought for the Day: How do I deal with discouraging news?