Ephesians 2:1-5

“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” vss. 4-5

All humans are pretty much the same…we all have strong passions, what the writer of Ephesians calls the desires of the flesh. And those passions aren’t intrinsically good or bad, that’s just the way we’re wired…and for the most part life goes pretty well. But when our passions rule us, and we begin to think that wherever those desires take us is where we ought to be, well, that’s the point where we can start getting in big trouble. This writer believed that since God created us with desires, God continues to love us even when those desires run amok. And, this is the neat part, even when we completely hit bottom, we are never deserted. In fact, God has already acted in Christ Jesus to give us new life. Just think of it! The new life is already ours, and it’s all by grace. That means we don’t have to be controlled by our passions and desires…we can say “no” to them and put them in their place. We can eat right, have proper sexual relationships, resist the power of greed, and devote our lives to simple living…and along the way, show extravagant love to both God and neighbor. We’ve been freed to be the people God has intended us to be all along. Wow!

Thought for the Day: How does God intend me to live?

Psalm 107:17-22

“Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.” vss. 17-18

The psalmist was a realist. As he looked at his people’s history and saw the way so many suffered it was obvious that they were reaping the consequences of their careless decisions. That continues to be the way it is for so many. We simply can’t make selfish and self-serving choices without ending up in sad shape. And sometimes there’s no going back. One poor choice leads to another and circumstances get worse instead of better. It’s no accident that our downward cycles are called “slippery slopes.” Once we start sliding it’s tough to get back on our feet again….and we’ve got no one to blame but ourselves. Of course not all suffering is like this. Many times people can make all the right choices and still end up in a bad way…such is the nature of life in this world. But the psalmist was at heart at optimist. Because God is good and full of steadfast love there is hope even for those who have slid all the way to the bottom. There is power in faith and as we learn to surrender our lives to God there can be miraculous turnarounds. We’ve all heard the stories. They happen not because of our own strength and resolve but by God’s grace and the power of the Spirit. And always our thanks is properly directed to God.

Thought for the Day: How do poor choices get magnified?

Psalm 107:1-3

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” vs. 1

As we move on in the season of Lent it’s good to see how the psalmist regarded God. We spend so much time in speculation about the Lord’s identity that it’s easy to forget the essential truth that is at the core of God’s being. Not only is God omnipotent, majestic and holy, God is good! And more than that, God’s love for us is everlasting and steadfast. Nothing, not even our own bad behavior, not even death itself, will be able to separate us from that love. And for that good news, there is no more appropriate response than thanksgiving. No wonder the people of God, from the very beginning, have always organized their worship to include opportunities for thanksgiving. No matter what the circumstances of our days, no matter what kind of issues we’re facing, our prayers and praise should be full of thanks. Of course it’s hard to remember that in the midst of turmoil…too often our prayers begin with complaints and petitions. But when we’re done with our whining and pause for breath, it would nice to offer up at least a postscript of thanks. We have been given so much…and it’s a privilege to simply be alive in this spectacular universe. And when we have a grateful spirit our friends and families are blessed! No one like to hang around with whiners!

Thought for the Day: When do I whine the most?

Numbers 21:4-9

“Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.” vs. 6

Sometimes the stories that the Israelites told about God reflect a very human understanding of how God operates. In this one from the book of Numbers the people have been complaining in the wilderness…they even show contempt for the food that God has been daily providing them. So the Lord gets even. We can imagine the Lord saying, “Don’t like the food, huh. Well I’ll show you.” And he sends poisonous snakes among them and many Israelites die. We might not like the story but there are a whole bunch of folks who believe that this is exactly how God operates. They say it to those who say or do wrong things, “Better watch out, God’s going to get you for that!” As a result of such thinking, when bad things happen to us, almost by instinct we think that what has happened is punishment for bad behavior. Now it is true that some of our words and actions do have consequences…they can get us in big trouble. But is God really like this? If this is indeed how God operates then the preachers who see hurricanes and floods as God’s punishment for human wickedness are right. But if Jesus is the true revelation of God we get a different perspective. In him we discover a God who loves sinners, who doesn’t “get them” for their sin, but who instead generously forgives.

Thought for the Day: What is my God like?

John 2:13-22

“In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.” vs. 14

According to the gospel of John Jesus cleansed the temple at the beginning of his ministry and not at the end. We don’t know why John chose to put it first…he undoubtedly had his reasons…but his description matches that in the other gospels. Jesus had gone up to worship but found that the temple had become a marketplace…and he became angry, so angry that he staged a riot. It’s doubtful that the incident made any difference in temple practices but it did solidify the antipathy between Jesus and the chief priests. In their eyes the folks doing business were simply providing a necessary service for those coming to sacrifice…and besides, it was a great revenue stream for the temple. It’s easy for religious leaders to think that way…market forces continue to be a factor in the life of congregations. As many a council member has said, “The church is a business…if revenues fall off we’ll have to shut the doors.” Many times that kind of thinking begins to affect the proclamation of the gospel. Pastors are afraid to offend and carefully craft sermons that will keep the big givers happy. For many that business side of being church is unsavory…there is a point to it, but it can easily get out of hand. Blessed are those congregations that are driven by the gospel and not by the market!

Thought for the Day: How’s business at my congregation?

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

“but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” vss. 23-34

There are some people who seem content to live in this world without ever thinking about matters of spirituality or mortality. They focus on the material and seem to believe that accumulation is the highest human purpose, with sensual satisfaction running a close second. But others crave more. They want to know God and to be guided by spiritual principles. So they search through human philosophy and check out various religions, always looking for a belief system that resonates with their own soul and spirit. Such seekers can often be put off by the message of Christ crucified that is the heart of the gospel. For some it doesn’t make sense, while others look for a more positive and triumphant message. But those who pause at the foot of the cross and spend some time with the suffering Jesus make an amazing discovery. Somehow God speaks clearly through the suffering and we glimpse a picture of unconditional self-giving love that gives both power and wisdom in our broken world. Granted, it doesn’t make a lot of sense and it might even sound foolish, but Paul is right, and countless searchers would agree. The suffering servant is both the hope of humanity and the way to enlightenment.

Thought for the Day: What are “seekers” looking for?

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.” vs. 21

There’s no doubt that there’s more to learn these days. Our children and grandchildren bring home assignments from school that leave us baffled…and we wonder what ever happened to good old arithmetic. Of course with the advent of Google all that information is available at the click of a mouse, or, better than that, we can just ask Siri. In essence we have all the wisdom of the ages at our fingertips! You’d think then, that we’d be more civilized, that we’d have figured out how to live with each other in peace and tranquility. Instead we live in our enclaves, frightened to death by strangers, and terrified at the brutality of existence. Those children and grandchildren we love so much aren’t even safe in our schools. So what gives? There are no easy answers to that question, but Paul had some insights for the folks in Corinth. He implies that wisdom does not bring the serenity we crave because it doesn’t bring us into an intimate relationship with God. In his experience it was the simple, foolish message of the cross that draws us to God, a message of love and forgiveness that brings meaning and purpose to wandering souls. Of course it’s nice to have Alexa on our counters to answer all our questions…but she’s a miserable failure when it comes to matters of the spirit!

Thought for the Day: What are the benefits of wisdom?

Psalm 19:7-14

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;” vs. 7

We Christians are a silly bunch sometimes. Having fallen in love with grace as the loving word from God we are prone to be dismissive about the law. Often we imagine that the coming of Jesus negated the law of the Lord and that in Christ we are free simply to do as we please. Jesus would have been appalled! At no point in his ministry did he ever indicate that the law could simply be ignored by those who became his followers. In fact he undoubtedly was familiar with these words of the psalmist and would have given them a hearty “Amen”! When the people of God, having reflected on all the ways that humans can live with each other, began to understand what the rules were, life got better for the community when those laws were obeyed. We don’t have to make the same mistakes again and again and continue to behave in foolish destructive ways. We can learn from the past…we can live by the law…and our souls will be revived. Obviously, because we are human, we can use the law of the Lord to marginalise our brothers and sisters. Jesus saw that too, and reacted against the hypocrisy of the self-righteous. But he never intended that we discard the decrees and commandments. They truly are a guide to blameless living…and we are blessed when we live by them.

Thought for the Day: What are the decrees of the Lord?

Psalm 19:1-6

“There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” vss. 3-4a

Even though the psalmist likely believed that the earth was flat, his sense of God’s majesty is deep and profound. As he looked up into the heavens he realized that God was more than he could even imagine. By the light of the sun by day and the stars by night he saw the glory of God revealed, not with audible words, but with a voice that spoke to his heart. That’s how it is when we stop trying to explain the wonders of the universe and simply receive them as a most precious gift. Obviously God is more than we can understand…there simply aren’t words available that can describe that which is beyond our comprehension. No matter how much science tells us, no matter what explanations we can google up, God is too big for our little brains. All we can do is lean back, relax, and keep looking up! As our eyes soak in the wonders of creation our hearts are touched by the sheer beauty and power of what we see. It’s not that we think the sun, moon, and stars are gods in themselves…but in their presence we do see God’s handiwork. And the more we are able to find out with our computers and telescopes the more awesome it all becomes…and our praise is magnified!

Thought for the Day: What does nature tell me about God?

Exodus 20:12-17

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” vs. 17

The people of God have long agreed that there are ten commandments, though most would be hard-pressed to list them in the proper order. And there’s considerable debate about which commandments should be included in the list of ten. Most folks insist that there should be mention of a prohibition against graven images while Lutherans opt for two commandments about coveting. Now it’s unlikely that Lutherans are more prone to coveting than other denominations, though that may certainly be a possibility, but what we do know is that coveting is a huge issue for a lot of people and is directly related to the first commandment, the one about having no other gods. In fact in our market driven economy advertisers take pain to stimulate coveting among us…they want us to desire those things that our neighbor has…and many succumb to their cleverly crafted slogans and images. Some folks end up spending their entire lives in an endless quest for accumulation, having been persuaded that if they can just get more stuff their life will be complete. Of course that’s all a lie. True peace comes through contentment and contentment comes as our spiritual lives are enriched and nourished. Material possessions are indeed a gift from God and not to be disdained, but they can’t bring us joy.

Thought for the Day: What do I covet most?