Isaiah 25:1-5

“For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.” vs. 4

When we look at our history it’s a wonder that the poor have ever survived the ravages of the rich and the powerful. Again and again they have been the victims, always the first to die in wars and the last to get relief in times of disaster. Legislative bodies and autocratic rulers alike develop systems that neglect the needy and give relief to the wealthy. It’s the way of the world…odds are stacked against the poor. The prophet knew this and he also knew that this reality was repugnant to the Lord. In his estimation it was only by the grace of God that the poor got any refuge or assistance at all. Those of us who are conscious of being the hands and feet of God in our interactions with the world will take the prophet’s words to heart. Where we have opportunity there is no more sacred work than being an advocate for the poor and a voice for the needy. It’s here that we will devote our time and energy: building homes, feeding the hungry, welcoming refugees, sheltering the broken. As times change and disasters come more frequently, our responsibilities will grow…as God’s chosen ones we have a lifetime calling to serve the least and lowly.

Thought for the Day: What have I done recently to bring relief to the poor?

Matthew 21:42-46

“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” vs. 43

Sometimes we get the notion that we are indispensable, that if we don’t do the work that we have been given, it just isn’t going to be done. But that’s not how it works in the kingdom of God. Jesus is pretty plain about that! He bluntly tells the religious leaders that if they don’t produce the fruits of the kingdom, God is going to find someone who will. And that’s how it continues with those of us who call ourselves the followers of Jesus. Just wearing a cross and remembering our baptisms isn’t enough if we don’t live by kingdom standards and show the love in our deeds and actions as well as by our words. Reputation and heritage don’t mean a thing if we’re not actually living as God desires. Even wrapping ourselves in the mantle of grace and celebrating proper theology won’t mean our salvation if there isn’t any fruit. This isn’t to say that grace and faith are unimportant…they most certainly are! But they’re nothing if our lives are barren and fruitless. And, if with our doctrines and confessions we still fall short, Jesus reminds us that someone will step up to get the good work done. If may even be that those we hold in contempt for their inadequate creeds will be the ones who get it right. Ultimately, after all, God’s will will be done!

Thought for the Day: Who might get the job done if we fall short?

Matthew 21:33-41

“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.” vs. 33

After entering Jerusalem on his final journey Jesus tells the gathered crowd a new parable that made use of an old metaphor for the land of Israel. It’s a story about tenants who forget that they are stewards while the owner is away…and who imagine that the fruits of the vineyard belong only to them. While it’s obvious that Jesus is telling this parable against the chief priests and rulers we can’t help but see its application to our own stewardship. We are good at affirming God as the source of all that we have, even acknowledging that we are “under God” in our pledge of allegiance to the flag, but in reality we have pretty much taken over the vineyard. We’re reluctant to part with our “hard earned” income in providing for the needs of others and do everything we can to preserve what we have come to call our own. It may not be that we’ll face the ire of an absentee landlord, but what a tragedy it is for us to forget that we are stewards. No wonder our earth faces environmental catastrophe…we humans have forgotten our calling to take care and share! When will we remember that all we have is a gift and a trust from God? We can only pray that it’s not already too late!

Thought for the Day: How much do I owe God?

Philippians 3:8-14

“in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.” vss. 8b-9

So what do we have to do to gain Christ and be found in him? That question has plagued and divided Christians for centuries. According to some there are a whole sequence of steps for believers to follow before such assurance is possible.That was the whole problem for Martin Luther as he struggled for spiritual serenity in the Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt. No matter what he did, no matter how thorough his confession, no matter how severe his acts of penance, he couldn’t find the peace he craved. And then as he searched the scriptures he discovered a great truth: he didn’t need to do anything! All that was necessary for his salvation had already been done. Righteousness didn’t come as a result of his own understanding or effort, it was a gift from God. It was pure grace and it was his by faith! Once the light had dawned for him he realized that this good news permeated all the letters of Paul…and Luther made it the centerpiece of his reforming efforts. It’s not easy to hang on to the purity of this simple message. We fight against it with all our might…we want so badly to be able to take some credit for our own salvation. What a blessing when we can simply relax and accept pure grace with gratitude and thanksgiving! It truly is God’s most precious gift!

Thought for the Day: Where does faith come from?

Philippians 3:4b-7

“If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:” vs. 4b

Paul had a ton of reasons to be confident in the presence of God. He was a well-educated Jew, a proud member of the tribe of Benjamin, and had been zealous for the law. He called himself blameless…he’d done everything right in his life! Some people are like that. They’re intelligent, genetically gifted, and have consistently made good decisions in the course of their lives. Life goes well for them and they prosper in all that they do. And yet there’s something missing…they just don’t have satisfaction…and the rest of us wonder why. According to the standards of society they have everything…what more could they want? Paul says that possessing all the world has to offer isn’t enough…what’s needed is the peace that comes from knowing Christ. All those externals do nothing for the soul…they’re like refuse or garbage. That’s why the folks who don’t have it all together sometimes have an advantage over those who do. They are forced by their deficiencies to put all their trust in Jesus, and end up with amazing blessings. It really is a burden to think it all depends on us…no matter how gifted we are, those gifts will never be sufficient and we’ll struggle for serenity. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Thought for the Day: How do I feel about my ethnicity?

Isaiah 5:5-7

“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” vs. 7

Isaiah had been called to proclaim the truth to the people of Judah and the message he was given was not a pleasant one. They could no longer bask in their presumed role as God’s chosen ones and enjoy the benefits of their election. Instead they would be ravaged by enemies and lose their favored status. God had expected that there would be justice and righteousness in the land…and there wasn’t…and now they would face the consequences. That’s always the case when justice fails…it always has been and it always will be. Civilizations are judged by one standard…is there justice for everyone? More particularly, is there justice for the oppressed and the poor? It’s not that God doesn’t care about the rich…but history tells us that the wealthy seldom have problems getting what they want. It’s the other folks who have a rough time. That’s why the church needs to be spending a disproportionate amount of its time and energy tending to the lowly and the outcasts of our world. They’re the ones whose blood gets shed and who regularly cry out for relief. As we echo the words of Isaiah in speaking truth to the nations perhaps one day the Lord will find justice and righteousness in his vineyard.

Thought for the Day: Is there liberty and justice for all in the United States?

Psalm 80:7-15

“The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.” vs. 13

When Pope Leo X finally moved against Martin Luther in 1520, he issued the bull Exsurge Domini in which he quoted this verse from Psalm 80 as support for his condemnation of Luther’s teachings. According to his understanding the Church was the vineyard of the Lord, established by Jesus and given over to the successors of Peter for safekeeping. And now Luther, the boar from the forest who was ravaging it, was given 60 days to desist and recant…or face the consequences. When he finally received the bull Luther gathered students at Wittenberg and burned it along with a copy of the canon law…there would be no reconciliation! It was a sad time for the Church…and a reminder of how God’s most precious gifts can be squandered and misused. The pope was right in one sense. The Church was being threatened…but not by serious reformers like Luther. The core of its malaise lay in its wholehearted embrace of worldly ways and its love of power and wealth. Wherever those impulses rise to the surface the integrity of Christ’s teachings is undermined and corruption is sure to follow. Thank God for all those leaders, both Catholic and Protestant, who have led the move toward reformation through the centuries! They are the ones who have insured the continuing proclamation of the Gospel in spite of our horrible stewardship and the proliferation of mind-boggling abuses.

Thought for the Day: What’s the greatest threat currently faced by the Church?

Isaiah 5:1-4

“What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?” vs. 4

Isaiah believed that the Lord had great love and high expectations for Israel. The love had been vividly demonstrated in the release from the bondage of Egypt and the gift of a productive new land. But Israel had failed to follow through…rather than being a light for the nations the country had become obsessed with other gods and a desire for wealth. The poor were being neglected and worship had become a mockery. The vineyard was yielding wild grapes! There are some who are wondering whether our country is following in Israel’s pattern. The blessings are obvious…our wealth is astounding and our military might unparalleled…but are we being a light for the nations? Are we producing fruit that will be a delight to the world and bring blessings to the downtrodden? Or have we become obsessed with our power and might, using it primarily for our own interest and national gain? Followers of Jesus will have different opinions about our country and its policies…but ultimately we must agree that our calling is intimately connected to service. If we really are a great nation, we will be a blessing not only to ourselves but to those ravaged by famine, war, and disasters of every kind. We will yield good fruit and not wild grapes!

Thought for the Day: What is God’s will for our nation?

Matthew 21:28-32

“‘Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.’” vs. 31

Jesus wants his followers to know that the kingdom of God is full of surprises, and that sometimes outsiders have a better grasp of the gospel than insiders. That same truth is regularly played out in our own search to understand the mysteries of the kingdom. Just because a person has been baptized, confirmed, and married in the church doesn’t guarantee that they are even close to “getting it.” In fact all too often church involvement can degenerate into a kind of “pro forma” adherence to accepted standards of behavior. People can learn the traditions and the social customs that typify the “ingroup” and pay lip service to creeds and sacraments and still not have a clue about the joy of grace and the glory of unconditional love. But some do understand! These are the undocumented folks who don’t have the right credentials and who have regularly wandered from the path of righteousness. They might even wonder if they have any right to be in worship…their sense of unworthiness is deep and profound. But they do know what love sounds like…and they appreciate the cleansing power of forgiveness. And the angels rejoice when they wander home!

Thought for the Day: When have I felt like an outsider at worship?

Matthew 21:23-27

“When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’” vs. 23

The question of authority was huge for the chief priests and the elders and they had a right to grill Jesus about his credentials. He was speaking boldly about the kingdom of God and they were wondering whether his assertions could be trusted. In the same way some of us regularly question teachings that we hear from religious leaders. Often they have a wide audience, either through television, blogs, or social media, and claim special insights about obscure scripture passages…some even make bold predictions about the future. Others cherry-pick verses at random and imply that God wants all of us to be prosperous…and then back it up with lifestyles that bring them to the level of the Hollywood elite. We have a right to wonder about such “profits”! Are they just making stuff up or do they have a special link to God? The truth is that a whole bunch of the religious talk that we hear even in our congregations is of human origin…and that can make it especially hard to hear an authentic word of the Lord. The best rule of thumb is to consider whether we’re hearing a message of grace, love, and mercy. Anything consistent with those themes is surely from the mouth of God! Anything else, however good it might sound, comes straight from the human heart!

Thought for the Day: Where do I hear authentic words from the Lord?