Psalm 121:1-4

“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” vss. 1-2

When we find ourselves in a tough or challenging situation, it’s not easy to know what to do. Even if we’ve been raised to be self-reliant and independent we don’t always have all the answers. In those moments of need we quickly discover that there are many places to look for assistance. Some will recommend a book or a guide. Others will have some self-improvement guru on speed dial. Everyone loves to give advice…and sometimes we can be led pretty far astray. Some folks even find themselves in cult-like groups where leaders demand strict obedience and rigid allegiance. The psalmist was doing some searching…and was pretty much at a loss. But when he took a look at the mountains he found strength that would never let him down. In that instant, even as he asked the question, he knew the answer. The One who had made the mountains, the Creator God of heaven and earth, would be his refuge and strength, his one true source of help. We could certainly do worse than follow his gaze! Every other option we have is transient and temporal, at best a temporary remedy. But in God there exists power beyond our imagining and knowledge beyond our understanding. When we find ourselves searching, answers are only a prayer away!

Thought for the Day: How does prayer help me through tough situations?

Genesis 12:1-4a

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” vs. 1

We live in a time of major migrations as refugees flee their homes by the millions and cross countless borders in their search for freedom and economic stability. Many of these families end up living in camps for decades with little prospect of relief. Some become permanent wanderers as they go from place to place looking for a welcoming home. People of faith will recognize the precedents for these stories of wandering in many portions of scripture. Many heroes of faith were refugees and migrants…according to Matthew Joseph took his wife, Mary, and son, Jesus, to Egypt to find security and to preserve their lives. Ruth, the grandmother of King David, was a Moabite woman who escaped famine with her grandmother, Naomi,in the land of Judah. Our whole story of faith begins with Abram and Sarai who left country and kindred to go to a new land. Being on the move is in our blood! With that as our background it’s sad to see how many people are being tempted to turn their backs on migrants and refugees. Of course resettlement is difficult. Precious resources will need to be shared. But surely our bounties are meant for sharing and not for hoarding. God’s blessings accompanied Abram and Sarai and those who welcomed them were blessed in turn. They were blessed to be a blessing…and so are we.

Thought for the Day: What are the blessings of refugee resettlement?

Matthew 4:6-11

“Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.” vs. 11

Sometimes it seems that there is no end to the parade of demons that visit us in daily living. Some are personal and secret and we’ve known them for years. They come by at inopportune times with their temptations and ugly thoughts and can hang around for days. It’s not that they’re around all the time…sometimes they seem to go on vacation and we can believe that our prayers have worked and we’ve been exorcised. But then they return…and they seem to have brought along friends…and the testing turns intense. In those moments we yearn for the angels who came and waited on Jesus…how good it would be to feel their care and love! And then they come! And what a blessing it is! Angels show up…the good friends who care, the ones who are so faithful in channeling God’s love. Often they are angels unaware and don’t have a clue about the incredible support they bring. They come with gifts and words of assurance, offering us non-judgmental ears and hearts brimming with compassion. In their presence we are nourished and sustained and the ugly voices within are silenced and stilled. Sometimes the testing even ends for a spell and we are empowered in our own serving and loving. And on the best days, God be praised, we even end up being angels for others…and the reciprocal blessings never end.

Thought for the Day: When have angels ministered to me?

Matthew 4:1-5

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” vs. 1

Often we think of the desert or the wilderness as a place where we can go on retreat and find solace for our soul in quiet and solitude. Hours spent there will be full of meditative fruit and we’ll find ourselves growing closer to God. At least that’s what we have been led to expect. Matthew gives us a different perspective, and indicates that the Spirit can have a different agenda. In fact he tells us that Jesus, after his baptism, was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil…not exactly what we might call a soulful retreat! And sometimes that’s how it works for us too in our quiet times! Instead of growing in faith we encounter doubts and can even begin to question God’s love. We wonder if there really is a God with power and can become confused about our mission and calling. It’s not much fun when we’ve been seeking clarity and find confusion instead. The time away that began with such high hopes can turn nightmarish, more of a test than an experience of growth. But there’s a purpose to the testing, even when it isn’t much fun, and when we hang on to the truth of God’s unconditional love, those stressful moments give us all the strength we need. We emerge with a clear word of affirmation and the direction we crave. And then the mission continues!

Thought for the Day: Testing that has come to me through meditation.

Romans 5:12-19

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned—” vs. 12

While Paul at times revels in the sheer foolishness of the gospel, he also had a strong appreciation for logic, and, in his letter to the Romans, makes an appeal to rational thought. Basing his argument on Genesis, he says that sin came into the world through Adam, and with sin came death, and so death spread to all because all have sinned. Now it may be that we have some disagreements with Paul’s premise…for instance, we might not link sin and death in the way he does, and we may have some completely different notions about original sin, but two things he concludes are most certainly true. All people sin and all people die! Sin and death are the two constants that we live with every single day of our lives. Of course sin in this context is a power, a kind of incurable cancer that touches all aspects of life from the time we’re born to the day we die. Death has that same kind of influence. Even though we don’t think of it every day, it’s a looming presence and regularly robs us of friends and family, while leaving reminders that it’s waiting for us too. Thankfully Paul doesn’t stop with this pessimistic truth but quickly adds that the new Adam, Jesus, has defeated the powers of sin and death and has brought life and forgiveness. It’s that good news that brings peace and hope for all.

Thought for the Day: What’s the relationship between sin and death?

Psalm 32:6-11

“You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.” vs. 7

Some days we’d like to stick a pillow over our heads and just stay in bed! The steady barrage of information via social media, television, and newspapers is too much to deal with. It’s like an invasion…and the more we absorb, particularly that which is political, the more anxious we become. No wonder stress levels are at an all time high, particularly for those who maintain constant connections during every waking hour. In the face of the onslaught many have chosen to disconnect…to defriend Facebook and unplug cable news, but it can be hard to stay away. Since it is so difficult, perhaps this could be our Lenten discipline…a kind of retreat in which we turn our minds to that which is spiritually pleasing. The psalmist says that God can provide that kind of a resource, that God can be a hiding place to get away from the stresses of the world. Of course it doesn’t work to just stay in bed…we need more stimulation than that. But maybe some time spent with scripture or a devotional book…maybe a focused time of prayer and exercise. Some have found that walks in nature preserves or on mountain trails can be a powerful respite… and always beautiful music provides accompaniment for more positive peaceful thoughts. There are times we really do need to get away from all that troubles us…and God always goes with us!

Thought for the Day: Where do I go to hide?

Psalm 32:1-5

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” vs. 5

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent, forty days for followers of Jesus to reflect on his suffering and death, and perhaps engage in their own time of fasting and meditation. During worship today, in many places, believers will receive on their foreheads an ashen cross while hearing the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Some will keep that mark on their faces through the day, an announcement to the world of their faith and a confession of their own mortality. It’s one of the few times for Christians to make that kind of public acknowledgement of their sin and their commitment to Jesus. While for some that openness is an embarrassment to be avoided, for others it’s a precious moment, an open declaration of their need for forgiveness. Such confession is important for all, whether or not we get the mark of ashes, for without it there is no declaration of forgiveness. Some have a hard time confessing…they don’t like to think of sin…it’s too negative, and they want to be positive people. Yet the truth is that all are sinners…and the quickest, most effective way to get rid of the accompanying guilt, is to simply confess. Forgiveness follows…and with it comes peace, our most precious gift from God.

Thought for the Day: How is baptism connected to the mark of the cross?

Genesis 3:1-7

“But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” vss. 4-5

This well-known story from Genesis was carefully crafted to describe the origin and the consequence of sin…and it pretty much nails the truth of it! Sin finds its roots in the human desire to be like God, to have charge of things, and also to be immortal. Some have described this as a rebellion against God, an attempt to live in the world on our own terms, and to reject even the existence of God. We see this impulse acted out every single day in the futile efforts of humans to control and manage creation. Our self-centeredness is lamentable and the consequences are legion. All around us sin and death wreak havoc on the goodness of God’s intentions. Our opened eyes make us fully aware of evil’s presence in our lives and in the world. Any semblance of innocence has been long forgotten. We catch a glimpse of that loss as we watch our children lose their naivete and become aware of how nasty life can be. Oh how we long for things to be different! How we wish that the harmony of Eden could be recaptured! And it can…but only in bits and pieces! God does not reject us in our rebellion but continues to support and bless us, and by the gift of forgiveness gives us daily doses of peace and love.

Thought for the Day: Are humans essentially evil or good?

Genesis 2:15-17

“And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’” vss. 16-17

We like to wonder what the writer of Genesis had in mind when he included the tree of knowledge of good and evil in his creation story…and there’s probably no really satisfying answer. It is clear though that from ancient times humans have known that there are limits to freedom that have built into the fabric of creation. We have been created for a purpose, to care for the earth, “to till and keep it” are the scriptural words. That’s a massive responsibility, something that has become plain in these last years as we’ve begun to realize just how fragile our environment is. But sometimes our attention wanders and we begin to think there are no boundaries for us…that we can do whatever we please, without repercussions. Often the first thing to go is our sense of stewardship and we imagine that we’re in charge, that all the blessings that have fallen into our laps are deserved and that we are the owners, and not just tenants. We plunder the bounty of the earth, hoard its wealth, upset its delicate balance, destroy its beauty…and are surprised when there are consequences. Genesis makes it plain…our selfish greed will ultimately be the death of us!

Thought for the Day: Why is good stewardship so hard for us?

Matthew 17:5-9

“While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’” vs. 5

Twice in Matthew’s gospel we hear a voice from a cloud, once at Jesus’ baptism, and here on the Mount of Transfiguration. Each time the words are the same, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased,” but this time an imperative is added, “Listen to him!” That imperative is important. It moves us from an attitude of “Oh, isn’t Jesus special” to “Wow, I’d better pay attention.” It’s a reminder that we frequently need. Most of us have heard about Jesus since we were dandled on our mother’s knee. We know the stories and can say the second article of the Apostle’s Creed from memory. But too often that’s all the further it goes. It’s like we invite him into the formal sitting room of our lives and then leave him there while we go off and do our thing…he has virtually no influence on our words or actions! And to us the voice from the cloud says, “Listen to him!” We are to pay heed to his parables and teachings and his words of assurance and hope. It’s like he said himself in the close of his sermon on the mount, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.”

Thought for the Day: What happens when I listen to Jesus?