Genesis 1:1-19

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good;”

The creation stories of Genesis contain deep and profound truths that have been foundational for people of faith for many hundreds of years. Unfortunately for many those truths have been obscured by the countless arguments that have sprung up in recent years regarding the historicity of these beautiful chapters. Some understand them as as absolute scientific truth and expend enormous energy in manipulating the verses to prove that creation took place 6,000 years ago. Others, coming from another scientific perspective, find such assertions laughable and generally react by discounting the stories altogether. Both such groups miss the point being expressed by those who first told the stories, namely, that all things have their origin in a creator God who is revealed through wind and word. As Genesis puts it, “A wind from God swept over the face of the waters…and God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Many centuries later followers of Jesus saw in these words a reference to the Holy Spirit and to the Incarnate Word and concluded that God is by nature Triune, or three in one. More specifically we have come to believe that Jesus is the Light of the world and that through him all things have been made good.

Thought for the Day: What happens when the bible is taken literally?

John 20:19-23

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ’Receive the Holy Spirit.’” vss. 21-22

When Jesus died those who had engineered his death probably expected that the movement that had grown up around him would quickly be forgotten. After all the crowds had come together primarily because of his personal charisma and appeal. With their leader gone, the authorities probably reasoned, his followers would drift away. But that’s not what happened. Instead the resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples and announced that the mission would continue even without his physical presence. And to make sure that they would be empowered he breathed on them the same Holy Spirit that had directed and guided him. And because of that Spirit’s presence the Jesus Movement did not fizzle and die out, but expanded and grew in astonishing ways. With no armies or armadas, armed only with weapons of the Spirit, that little group of followers within a short time had become the dominant spiritual force in the entire Roman Empire. Their message of forgiveness and love spread quickly and soon thousands of people were willing to pay the cost of discipleship. Today, all across the world, faithful followers are reflecting the presence of the Spirit with lives devoted to discipline and action, and in them the mission of Jesus continues to grow and expand.

Thought for the Day: How am I celebrating the day of Pentecost?

1 Corinthians 12: 8-13

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” vs. 12

Paul used the human body with all of its parts as a metaphor for the Body of Christ. It’s a great image. A well functioning body is beautiful to behold and capable of amazing feats…well maintained it can service our needs for many decades. But our parts have to work together! In fact it would be the height of foolishness for one or two limbs to go off on their own or refuse to cooperate. Chances are we’d just fall on our faces. And that’s what happens to the Body of Christ when its members drop out or go off on their own. Though we think that could never happen, it does…and the results are devastating. Christ has no hands but ours, and when one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing, Christ’s work doesn’t get done. Sometimes the members of Christ’s body engage in bitter battles with one another. It seems that some would rather be amputated than cooperate! But not always! Occasionally we see congregations of believers acting as one body and with one accord making a difference in their communities. Together, using all their gifts, they reach out with disciplined action to the least, the lost, and the lonely. In their deeds we see the presence of Jesus and know that this is the way it’s always supposed to be for his Body in the world.

Thought for the Day: What makes me feel a part of the Body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 12:3b-7

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” vss. 4-5, 7

All who are baptized into Christ Jesus are the Body of Christ in the world. As the old song puts it, “We are the Church!” We have been called by the Holy Spirit and gathered into one community of faith, and have become the living, breathing  presence of Christ for the hurting, lost, and weak. The good news is that we are fully capable of carrying on that ministry, not because of our charm or good looks, but because every one of us is gifted by the same Spirit who called us to faith. Not that we are all gifted in the same way…that obviously wouldn’t work. But as Paul puts it, there are varieties of gifts and varieties of services. Our calling is to put those spiritual gifts to the common good. When the Church is operating at full efficiency every person’s gifts will be used and no person within the body will valued more highly than another. We will treat one another with gentleness and respect, never discounting or devaluing what the other brings to the table. Naturally some will use their gifts more publicly…others will operate behind the scenes. But as we act together in one mission and for one purpose, Jesus Christ will be honored and his presence will continue to be felt.

Thought for the Day: What are my gifts and how are they being used?

Psalm 104:30-34

“When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” vs. 30

Even though Pentecost has been set aside to celebrate God’s gift of the Holy Spirit we should not imagine that the Spirit was not active before the day described in the book of Acts. Quite obviously Jesus was guided and led by the indwelling Spirit all through his ministry…and when Genesis 1 speaks of the wind from God brooding over the waters, well, that’s the Spirit too. From the beginning the Spirit has been the life-giving present tense of God, active both in creation and in renewal. For followers of Jesus the Spirit is the force that is with us from dawn to dusk as a source of power and strength. Every day our sinful self is put to death, and a new recreated self is raised up through the Spirit to live as salt and light in the world. Through the Spirit we live as little Christs in our environments, actively reaching out to others with tender love and mercy. Gathered together by that same Spirit into the one Body of Christ we become a powerful force for justice and peace in this troubled world. Because of the Spirit’s forceful presence we can have confidence for the future. The Spirit will never disappear…it is the life of the universe…and through the Spirit humans will continue to be called, gathered and sanctified until all things come to completion.

Thought for the Day: How does renewal come to me?

Psalm 104:24-29

“O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” vs. 24

When we take a good hard look at the world around us we can’t help but be overwhelmed by the natural beauty and wonder of it all. And if we then add the incredible variety and diversity of its creatures, the delight only increases. No wonder the psalmist was so lavish in his words of praise to the Creator! We live in a spectacular environment and are inextricably bound to it. Now there are some who get caught up in scientific understandings of how things have come to be. These tend to describe what we see and experience today as simply the end result of many natural processes. It isn’t that they don’t appreciate the beauty…they just don’t like to give God the credit. For believers though, it just feels right to thank God for the gift of life and the wonders of this earth. Of course there are natural laws and most of us accept that evolution has been involved in the creation’s process of becoming. But to exclude God from the picture means the embracing of accident and the rejection of intention…and that doesn’t seem appropriate. It would mean there was no need for words of thanksgiving or praise…and how could we live like that? Thanking God for the majesty of the universe is really what makes us human!

Thought for the Day: What is the place of humans in the web of creation?

Acts 2:14-21

“No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.’” vss. 17-18

As the disciples lived through the excitement and turmoil of those first Spirit-filled days their familiarity with the words of Joel convinced them that the last days were coming. With the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost a new chapter had begun. From now on the Holy Spirit would be loose in the world and God only knew what was going to happen. It was totally unpredictable. Even women and old men would be a part of it. No one would be left out. The Spirit would range through every nation and every demographic, prodding and pushing people into relationship with the Christ, and bringing forth fruit in the most unlikely places…and that is exactly what has happened. Who knows how long these last days will be? They could stretch on forever…all we know for sure is that the Spirit is never going to go away. Forms will change. Worship styles will evolve. Boundaries will be erased. But the Church of Christ will continue to be the workshop of God’s Holy Spirit, and human beings will daily die and rise with Christ to live as reborn daughters and sons of God.

Thought for the Day: Why can’t the Church just stay the same?

Acts 2:1-13

“Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” vss. 3-4

It’s hard to know what to do with Pentecost. Christmas and Easter are easy… crowds of folks come out for worship…and the message is pretty much always the same. But Pentecost is tougher. Some years it gets stuck on the wrong side of Memorial Day and sometimes there’s not even a choir for special music. And then there’s the mystery of it all. What exactly happened there in Jerusalem? What shall we make of divided tongues of fire and speaking in other languages? If this is the birthday of the Church shouldn’t it be cause for a pretty big celebration, regardless of when it falls on the calendar? It seems to have been a chaotic day, one with lots of excitement and disciples being moved out of their comfort zone. In John’s gospel we learn that the Spirit blows where it wills and we can hear the sound of it, but we don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. That’s what we see here in Acts. The Spirit has come and folks could hear the sound of it, but no one knew what was going to happen. And that’s what Pentecost is about! The Spirit has come and the Church is full of it…and no one knows where it is going! That’s just how it is when God is in charge.

Thought for the Day: What are the attributes of a Spirit-filled congregation?

John 17:6-11

“And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” vs. 11

As he neared the end of his time on earth Jesus prayed fervently for his followers, not only that they would know his words had come from God, but that they would be one with each other. Obviously this hasn’t turned out so well as Jesus wanted since only occasionally do his followers enjoy unity with one another. More often than not we find ourselves at odds with fellow believers and quickly turn to separation or divorce. Congregations and denominations split and many times the divisions are heart-breaking and vicious. Frequently the splits occur because of human traditions and varying ways of interpreting the bible. But whatever the reason the net result is an undermining of our effectiveness in mission. We’re seen as competing religious organizations and outsiders fail to see the gospel message that is the core of what we believe. They make fun of our internecine struggles and discount the power of the message we’ve been called to proclaim. When we can’t be one with one another, unbelievers see no point in becoming one with us…and turn instead to follow other gods. What a blessing it is when we can put aside differences and embrace one another as fellow believers. It’s a gift of unity that comes straight from the heart of Christ.

Thought for the Day: What are the major causes of disunity in the Church?

John 17:1-5

“And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” vs. 3

Despite the fact that eternal life is pretty much beyond our understanding, we have a tendency to engage in mostly fruitless speculation and debate about what it may be like. One basic mistake is to picture eternity as “endless time” and imagine that it stretches on and on, one year after another, with no ending at all. While such a vision might bring momentary satisfaction, upon reflection, it’s obvious that such a life would be hell. No matter how much we might detest death we have to admit that it’s the reality of endings that gives life in this world its joys and delights. Jesus tells us that eternal life is more like timelessness. He describes it as knowing God, and more particularly as knowing himself. It’s like one of those moments that come along occasionally when we completely lose track of time. In those experiences we are engaged so fully that hours can pass and it may seem like only a minute. To know God is like that, and more than that, it’s a connection so intimate that absolutely nothing, not even death can destroy it. To put it another way, eternal life means becoming one with God now and forever. With eternal life we can rest peacefully in the present. No matter what happens we are going to be okay!

Thought for the Day: When have I experienced timelessness?