Romans 10:12-15

“And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” vs. 15

Paul had a passion for proclaiming the good news to the Gentiles, to those that were outside the boundaries of Israel. He believed that all people were included in God’s big tent of salvation and he thought it a pity that so very few knew the gift of inclusion that belonged to them, and he tirelessly spent his life in one missionary journey after another until his enemies finally put him to death. Through the centuries countless others have taken up the cause and have actually pushed throughout the world with the message of God’s amazing love and grace. And now it’s our turn! We don’t have to go around knocking on doors or making speeches on street corners…such efforts have little effectiveness. But we have been sent to tell the story, and truly, people are eager to hear. Sadly many have been turned off by the church…we’ve not put our best foot forward. Some have been excluded and made to feel unwelcome. Instead of hearing a message of grace, they’ve only heard condemnation. When we can break through the resistance with our smiles and words of acceptance we are welcomed…and the Spirit of God working through us can bring life-enhancing change. Paul’s mission hasn’t ended…there’s always a need for people with beautiful feet!

Thought for the Day: With what message have I been sent? How am I doing?

Romans 10:5-11

“because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” vs. 9

It is such good news to know that salvation comes through faith and not through works of the law. We’ve all known stories of people who have resisted the gospel through their entire lives who on their deathbeds have confessed Jesus as Lord and who have then found peace. Such stories bring us hope and are a fair reflection of the amazing power of grace. How wonderful it is that a lifetime’s burdens of sin and guilt can be lifted through such a simple confession! We can only wish that such insights could come earlier to sinners and that they wouldn’t have to wait until the end for their long-sought serenity. Still there are big questions that come to mind about such expressions of faith. What if a person doesn’t make such a confession at the end? What if they don’t have time? Are they then condemned? There are some who would say yes, unless one confesses and believes, there is certain condemnation and no hope! To grace-centered believers however such a conclusion smacks of a perverse kind of legalism…the very thing Paul was writing against. For them, if grace is true, salvation is totally in the hands of God and not in our own, and because it is, surely there is hope for all.

Thought for the Day: What do I believe about death-bed confessions?

Psalm 85:8-13

“Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.” vs, 10

Some of those who wrote the psalms were poets of the highest quality and their images stand the test of time in magnificent fashion. In this verse we see a picture of God’s saving grace that captures the essence of our salvation. Steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace are the essential attributes of God and the psalmist describes beautifully what happens as they come into our lives. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet, coming together in a way that brings us righteousness and gives us peace. And by grace all of this comes from God, and not by our own understanding or effort. This is pure gospel…and it all comes to us from what we sometimes disdainfully call the old testament. No wonder Martin Luther loved the psalms and made them the center of his daily worship. It’s here that he found the foundational images of God that brought the consolation he so desperately sought and was failing to find in the rigid penitential teachings of the church. The psalmist’s clear convictions were fleshed out in the person of Jesus and experienced in the lives of the people that encountered him. As we meet Jesus today in our communities of faith we continue to experience pure love and faithfulness and regularly receive his kisses of righteousness and peace.

Thought for the Day: Have righteousness and peace kissed in my life?

1 Kings 19:11-18

“and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.” vs. 12

There was violent wind, an earthquake, and fire, and the Lord was not there. But then came silence, sheer silence, and Elijah heard the Lord clearly. This magnificent, ancient story has touched hearts and minds both inside and outside the church as it speaks to the human experience of the Divine Presence. We live in noisy times and it’s hard to escape the clutter of sounds as we make our daily pilgrimage. And these aren’t just quiet interruptions…often for some strange reason, maybe to drown out the voice of God, we choose the loud and cacophonous rhythms of rock as our accompaniment. Some might even say that we’ve become addicted to noise…we can’t even go out to eat without shouting to make ourselves heard. It takes effort and intention to find a truly quiet place where God can speak to our souls. What a blessing it is when we find moments of complete stillness where we can be alone with our thoughts and begin to open up our hearing receptors to the still, small voice of God. And what will we hear in the silence? Nothing less than what Elijah heard, the assurance of God’s continuing presence on the journey, and the promise of a good and glorious future. No wonder Jesus said, “Let anyone with ears, listen!”

Thought for the Day: Where can I find sheer silence?

1 Kings 19:9-10

“At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?’” vs. 9

Elijah was running for his life. He had been called as a prophet of the Lord and had served as diligently as he possibly could, even using force and violence to destroy the prophets of Baal and tear down their altars. But his enemies were not converted; in fact, they had become more diligent in their efforts to fight for their cause and eliminate Elijah. In response, Elijah had given up! Not only was he fleeing his foes, he was also trying to hide from the Lord. Far to the south he had found refuge in a cave…and wouldn’t you know it, the Lord found him! In that moment Elijah learned a basic truth. We can’t hide from God! We can flee to the ends of the earth and God will be there. As Paul said to the Romans, “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God…” And that’s good news! For us as well as Elijah! Even when we’ve gone far astray and completely lost touch with our mission, even when we’ve violated our promises and commitments repeatedly, God simply doesn’t give up on us. Like Francis Thompson’s “Hound of Heaven,” God pursues us until we can’t run anymore and then enfolds us with arms of love and healing.

Thought for the Day: Where have I tried to hide from God?

Matthew 14:16-21

“Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’” vss. 16-17

Sometimes we don’t realize that the little we have is enough to make a big difference. We’re very aware of how impossible and entrenched the world’s problems seem to be, particularly the ones that revolve around poverty and hunger. Some might even say, quoting Jesus out of context, “the poor we will always have with us,” and take that as an excuse to do nothing or think that our efforts will have a minimal effect. The disciples certainly didn’t believe that five loaves and two fish could feed 5000, and until Jesus encouraged them, they thought the only solution for the problem was to send the people away. We don’t know how Jesus did manage to get so many fed but it’s a persistent story, showing up in all four gospels….and twice in a couple! It obviously prefigures the meal that is at the center of worship throughout the church, but it also points to our responsibility to provide bread for the world, and thereby meet the very real physical needs of the poor. How good it is that our congregations all around the world are known for their generous support of feeding and nutritional programs! Even our governments respond to the active lobbying of groups who are determined that at least a portion of tax money be devoted to helping the poor.

Thought for the Day: What can I do to help feed the hungry?

Matthew 14:13-15

“When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’” vs. 15

The disciple’s suggestion was a reasonable one. They had likely been excited by the prospect of a day with Jesus in a deserted place. But the crowds had followed, and Jesus, even though he had wanted the time away, had compassion on them and healed the sick. Now it was evening and the tired disciples thought it was time to send the crowds away. It was time for the people to take care of themselves. We call that feeling “compassion fatigue” and when it sets in we want to be free of needy people. We can even begin to resent the poor and the hungry who cross our paths. We see them with their signs on street corners or pushing their shopping carts full of collected junk and meager possessions along sidewalks and our hearts are not touched. There are even some who say we coddle the poor and have made them dependent, that all they need to do is find work and earn some money and they wouldn’t have to be on welfare. It’s hard to know what to do with such feelings…and it’s certainly difficult to come up with good solutions to the problems of the poor. One thing we can be confident of in our confusion: the answer is not “send the crowds away!”

Thought for the Day: What do I feel when I see a needy person?

Romans 9:1-5

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” vss. 1-2

Paul had come to believe that Israel had lost its way and had forfeited its favored position by its insistence that righteousness before God could be achieved by obedience to the law. It was because of their intransigence that he had been called to proclaim the message of justification by grace to the Gentiles. And it was breaking his heart! He loved his people: their history, the covenants and worship, the patriarchs and the prophets, the giving of the law…but mostly he loved that through them the messiah had come. And now he was turning his back on them. He could not continue living a lie…even though speaking the truth brought him great sorrow and anguish. In our time such truth-speaking has become a rare commodity, especially among those who call themselves our leaders, and ironically, those who point this out are often the biggest liars of all. Only occasionally do we find leaders whose commitment to the truth transcends party, politics, and religion. Paul’s decision to speak the truth cost him dearly, but his exposition of grace opened the door of inclusion to billions of people who otherwise would have missed out on the gospel. Without his courage the radical good news of the Christ would likely have been lost forever.

Thought for the Day:  How do we know when a politician is speaking the truth?

Psalm 145:14-21

“The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.” vs. 20

Those of us who love the idea of universal salvation and who bask in the good news that God has compassion for all tend to skip over the portions of scripture that describe God’s destruction of the wicked. We don’t like the passages about hellfire and damnation and ridicule preachers who make that a part of their message. The problem is that such verses pop up all the way through the bible, and not just in the Old Testament. How can we reconcile these contrary perspectives? How can God have compassion for all and still promise to destroy all the wicked? The solution is to believe both at the same time and not even attempt reconciliation. We don’t have to fit divine truth into some sort of neat theological system where all loose ends are tied up and everything makes sense. It is true that God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love for all. We can bank on that! But it is also true that wickedness is repugnant to God and will be destroyed. We can count on that too! Together these two truths offer direction as we make our way in this confusing world. Yes, we are called to love our enemies as God has loved us. Yes, we are rightly appalled and offended by the vile and ugly desires and deeds we see revealed in ourselves and others. And finally, yes, it is good news that one day all wickedness will be destroyed!

Thought for the Day: Can I love God and be wicked at the same time?

Psalm 145:8-9

“The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.” vs. 9

Our eyes are drawn to the word “all,” in verses like this, and we wonder if it can possibly be true. Can the good Lord really have compassion over all? Surely there are exceptions! But there are no caveats in the psalmist’s verses, and no thing and no person is excluded. The words of Genesis 1, “and it was very good,” remain in effect even after the Fall recounted in Genesis 3. As Jesus’ own words, “he sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous,” testify, God showers love on the whole creation, even upon those who are evil. It’s important for us to keep on remembering this great truth, especially when societal forces are pushing us toward even greater polarization. God’s goodness is absolute and knows no boundaries. We who are created in God’s image are called to imitate his love and compassion in all of our relationships, and particularly in those that are difficult. It’s easy to love nice people. Anyone can do that! It gets tougher as we extend our love to those we consider our opponents and adversaries. Then again, if we truly are followers of the One who looked from the cross and asked forgiveness for his murderers, we have no other option than to try. And if we can’t pull it off today, maybe we can do it tomorrow! After all, our calling demands it!

Thought for the Day: When is compassion the toughest for me?