John 12:27-33

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” vs. 32

For the Romans crucifixion was designed to strike terror into the hearts of those that they ruled. It was cruel, painful, and violent…and lasted for hours, even days. Bodies were left hanging on crosses on the main thoroughfares to remind passersby of the consequences that awaited any form of insurrection. But when Jesus was crucified there was an entirely unexpected response and the cross was transformed into a symbol of salvation and hope. In our time it has taken on a kind of magnetic quality…people are drawn to meditate on the love and forgiveness that it represents. All around the world it stands and hangs in Christian churches, sometimes showing the suffering body of Jesus, other times empty as a reminder of resurrection, but always the weekly object of worship for millions. And its message of gracious and triumphant love is not just for believers…it’s for all people…even for those who have rejected him! In a week or so we’ll be moving through our annual observance of Holy Week and we’ll have yet another opportunity in our prayers and meditation for reflection on the amazing triumph of good over evil that took place on that hillside outside the walls of Jerusalem. What humans intended as cruel repression has been transformed into a universal message of love and acceptance. “In the cross of Christ we glory, tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time!”

Thought for the Day: What message do I receive from the cross?

John 12:20-26

“They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’” vs. 21

As Jesus continued his ministry he worked mostly among the Jews…they were his people and he felt a special calling to bring the gospel to them. But the good news couldn’t be hidden…Jesus hadn’t put his lamp under a bushel basket but on a stand where it enlightened all who came near. Even foreigners heard about him and wanted to find out what all the excitement was about. They sought out Philip, one of his followers, and asked the big question, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” People are still searching for Jesus. They’ve heard of him…and are wondering what the big deal is. Some are even members of Christian churches and have heard of him all their lives, but have never met him. Philip could bring those Greeks directly to Jesus but where will we take them? Jesus answers that question indirectly in his reply to Philip when he says, “Where I am, there will my servant be also.” We who so blithely call ourselves followers of Jesus should know that we are his presence in the world. If people want to see Jesus, theoretically they should be able to come to us! Granted, that’s a heavy responsibility but it’s one that can’t be shirked. If we’re going to call ourselves by his name we are his servants, and people will see his love, mercy, gentleness, and humility in the way we conduct our lives.

Thought for the Day: Are people seeing Jesus when they see me?

Hebrews 5:5-10

“So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’;” vs. 5

In the years before the destruction of the temple by the Romans the office of the high priest, once occupied only by the holiest of men, often went to the highest bidder. Herod the Great and later, the Roman governor would appoint and depose at will, depending on the size of the bribe or the political situation. The most important duty of the high priest was to go alone into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for sins of the people. Once the temple was destroyed of course, that practice came to an end for the Jews…but not for Christians! The writer of Hebrews was convinced that the Christ had been appointed as the high priest forever in his baptism…he had not sought the position, but had been chosen. As the new eternal high priest, Christ, through his obedience and suffering, had brought about salvation for all humanity. Through him the work of atonement had taken place once for all. Naturally this kind of sacrificial language seems strange to most of us, and at times this letter to the Hebrews can be a challenge. In those moments, rather than dismissing the atonement talk, we can profit by simply celebrating the forgiveness that we have by grace through faith. In Christ we have been made clean!

Thought for the Day: What makes me feel dirty?

Psalm 51:7-12

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” vs. 10

There may be some of us who are naturally blessed with pure and holy hearts, but evidence indicates that the numbers are few. Most of us struggle daily with contrary and even ugly thoughts and desires that rise up out of nowhere to plague our serenity and sense of peace. Sometimes all it takes is a glance at a Facebook post or an unsolicited email…one look and our blood begins to boil. Angry responses come unbidden and we have to bite our tongues to keep from losing friends. At other times we find ourselves laughing at raunchy and racist jokes, winking at behaviors we know to be contrary to the Way of Jesus. It’s no wonder that this little verse from the psalmist has found a home in our liturgy. “Create in me a clean heart,” we sing…and we mean it! None of us enjoy living with impurity…and we’re embarrassed by the state of our inner selves. The good news is that God hears our prayers and does restore a right spirit within us. It happens regularly as we confess our sins and receive the assurance of forgiveness through the Word and the Holy Meal. The liturgy is more than communal recitation of ancient truths…it’s a power source that brings the purity of heart that all of us crave.

Thought for the Day: What does a pure heart feel like?

Psalm 51:1-6

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” vs. 1

This particular psalmist was very aware of his own sinfulness and knew that he fell far short of perfection. From the days of his youth he’d regularly sinned against God and neighbor and he believed that he deserved nothing but punishment for his misdeeds. He was ravaged by guilt. As we read his confession of sin we’re tempted to say he was overdoing it a bit, that he was dramatizing his unworthiness. Some even believe that we’d be better off if we stopped talking about sin and instead focus on the positive. It’s doubtful that such an attitude would have resonated with the psalmist…he knew the darkness of his soul and he yearned for cleansing. That’s just how it is for us humans…and if we say otherwise we’re only fooling ourselves. None of us can escape the power and influence of sin…it’s a constant presence among us. But the psalmist not only knew himself, he knew God as well. And he understood that God was full of steadfast love and abundant mercy. And because he knew the nature of God, he knew that there was hope for his own life. He trusted that God would blot out all his transgressions and that the stain of sin could be wiped away. That’s why we regularly take time for confession in our worship. It’s the perfect opportunity to find refreshment and cleansing…our sins have been forgiven. In Christ there is forgiveness and not condemnation.

Thought for the Day: Since all sin, why do some shun forgiveness?

Jeremiah 31: 33-34

“No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” vs. 34

Jeremiah was writing from the edge of calamity, the total destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, yet he looked toward the future with optimism and deep anticipation. One day, he believed, the union of God and the people would be so complete that the law of Moses would become obsolete, not because God had simply given up, but because the law had been internalized. We would simply know how to behave and how to act…everyone would be so in tune with God’s holy will that it would be done, not only in heaven, but on earth. Jesus expanded on that vision when he taught his disciples to pray, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We might dismiss such a notion as utopian or impossible in a world where sin is so entrenched…except for one thing. The new covenant is based, not on our ability to perfectly do what God wants, but on forgiveness. We will be freed to be what God intends because God will forgive our iniquity and remember our sins no more. Even now we see countless persons living in the grace of this new relationship with God and their lives bear testimony to the truth of what Jeremiah proposed. They’ve feasted on forgiveness and we can actually see their pure hearts!

Thought for the Day: How does forgiveness change behaviors?

Jeremiah 31:31-32

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” vs. 31

It’s surprising to some when we read in the Hebrew scriptures that God keeps making new covenants with the people of Israel. Somewhere we’ve gotten the notion that covenants are irrevocable and that they can’t ever be changed, that they’re like our constitution and will be the same forever…even when we think a few changes might be advisable. But God is different from us…and that’s a good thing. When something new is needed God continues to love but changes the terms of the promise. First there was Noah and the promise to never again destroy the earth in a flood, then came Abraham and Sarah and the assurance of heirs, and even later there was Moses and the gift of freedom. And now Jeremiah tells the remnant huddled in Jerusalem that there will be yet another covenant…this time something entirely new. The one constant of course is that it’s God who makes the promise. Even though the people consistently break the covenants, God is faithful. Even when the country ultimately disappears and all the land is taken away God doesn’t give up. Eventually of course we get to Jesus and the new covenant written in his blood, a promise that was for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Maybe someday there’ll be yet another covenant…that’s just how it is with heavenly change orders…the good news is that God never changes!

Thought for the Day: What covenant changes may still be ahead?

John 3:19-21

“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” vs. 19

The contrast between light and darkness was an important one in the gospel of John. In his prologue he describes the Word as the light of the world, a light which darkness was not able to overcome. In this section he tells his readers that even though the light is in the world, people have loved darkness rather than the light. We can see the truth of what he says in our own experience. It we’ve ever tried to get away with anything, whether it be an act of vandalism or petty crime, we’re much more likely to do it in the dark. Somehow we believe that the darkness will give us cover…and sometimes it works. Because people know this, some are tempted to stay away from Jesus. They’re afraid that their sin will be exposed in the light of his presence…and it is. But by staying away they miss out on the forgiveness and cleansing that he has for them. Because the light not only exposes evil, it brings amazing healing. It doesn’t hurt us to take a hard look at our sins and frailties…especially when the light is good, and Jesus is certainly that! In him we experience the fullness of God’s love and discover the joy of living as God intends. In him we find peace and are freed from fear…we never have to be afraid of being caught!

Thought for the Day: What sneaky things have I done in the dark?

John 3:14-18

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” vss. 14-15

We can wonder a lot about the writers of the gospels, who they were and why they were motivated to write. Obviously they never guessed that the simple stories they put together would face the unrelenting scrutiny of Greek scholars around the world. But one thing we do know: they paid attention to the Hebrew scriptures as they wrote. They were looking for material to back up what they knew about Jesus, and for John this little story from the book of Numbers was a gold mine. It said exactly what he wanted to communicate. Note that he doesn’t focus on the rather bizarre punishment meted out by the Lord. It’s the part about Moses that caught John’s attention. For him the action of Moses in raising up the serpent on the pole was exactly what had happened in Jesus’ crucifixion. Those who looked up at the serpent of bronze were healed and so it is for all who look to Jesus on the cross. It’s a pithy simple analogy and describes perfectly the place of the cross in our expressions of faith. It isn’t something that can be explained scientifically or even rationally…it just works! The notion of a crucified messiah may seem foolish but it’s the center of our worship…and it brings life to all who believe.

Thought for the Day: Why have most protestant churches eliminated crucifixes?

Ephesians 2:6-10

“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” vs. 10

God hasn’t given us all of these amazing gifts of grace as an exercise in generosity but because God is madly in love with us, and there’s a method to God’s madness. In Christ Jesus, specifically in his resurrection, there’s been a new creation in which we were programmed by the Holy Spirit to produce good works. God has made us exactly the way we’re supposed to be and our software program has been designed to bring love into the lives of people who need it the most. We are who we are and where we are for a purpose and God doesn’t make junk. We are precious in every way. We can’t even use the excuse that we are sinners because all that’s been taken care of in Christ. Oh, that doesn’t mean that we won’t make excuses! We’re full of them…and sadly we even ignore the mission field that God has put in front of us. There are hurting people out there who can be reached only by us…and if we allow our excuses to distract us from mission those people are going to go unloved. They’ll wonder why God doesn’t care about them and never know that we’re the ones who have dropped the ball. We used excuses to keep from living the way of life God had prepared for us. What a pity!

Thought for the Day: What does God intend to be my way of life?