Deuteronomy 30:15-20

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him;” vss. 19-20a

The book of Deuteronomy, one of the most precious documents to come down to us from our ancestors, presents itself as Moses’ final sermon to the Israelites before they leave the wilderness and enter the promised land. In these final words of that sermon, Moses tells the people that they now have a choice between blessings and curses, they can either choose life or death, it’s up to them. Quite naturally he implores them to choose life, a choice which would mean loving, obeying, and holding fast to the Lord their God. Sometimes as we move through life our options for the future do seem to boil down to that kind of simple choice. If we go one way there will be blessings, if in the other, there will be curses. It would make sense, given the options, that everyone would choose the way leading to blessings. The problem is that consequences are seldom obvious when we’re making the choice. Deuteronomy is intended to be a guide in those moments of decision and tells us that blessings will come as we remain connected to God and love God with all our heart, mind, and strength. And it works! When loving God is our top priority our paths will always be paved with blessings.

Thought for the Day: How do my decisions reflect my love of God?

Matthew 5:17-20

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 20

Though Matthew is obviously drawing parallels between Moses, the great lawgiver, and Jesus in his introductory chapters, the first words Jesus speaks to the disciples, the beatitudes, are a powerful statement of grace, and not a list of rules. He tells them clearly that they are the light of the world. But he follows up the words of affirmation with a necessary clarification: they should never ever begin to believe that he came to abolish the law! Paul does the same thing later on in his letter to the Romans, letting his readers know that baptism does not give license to do whatever one pleases. Those are important reminders to lovers of grace in every generation. There’s a purpose behind God’s unconditional love and mercy, and that purpose is to transform the world. Grace frees us to be the people God has created and equipped us to be. The divine intention does not mean disregarding laws and doing what we want. Jesus sets the standard by telling his disciples that he expects their righteousness to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, the most law-abiding people on the planet! Some of us might consider that kind of talk to be a negation of grace, but it truly isn’t. In reality Jesus’ words point out the incredible life-changing power of grace! Love and forgiveness work together to make different people of us. The law kills, but grace makes us alive!

Thought for the Day: Why is grace more effective than law in changing lives?

Matthew 5:13-16

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” vs. 16

For some Christians, especially those who love Pauline theology, good works are regarded with a certain suspicion. For them salvation is all about grace and faith alone and any talk about works can be a dangerous distraction. Their emphasis on grace can be appreciated, yet it’s also important for us to recognize that good works, in Jesus’ estimation, were essential for effective witness. For Jesus grace was a given…the very foundation of our connection to God. We are the salt of the earth! We are the light of the world! We are the called children of God and we are to let our light shine before others. And we let that light shine, not with our theology of grace, but with our good works. As those works are seen by others, as they see us in the soup kitchens, marching for justice on behalf of the oppressed, comforting the mourning, healing the broken…they are enlightened and will give glory to God. Now in the course of our lives we will be tempted to privatize faith and keep it to ourselves, to keep hidden the special grace relationship we have with Christ. For Jesus that would be the equivalent of putting a lamp under a bushel basket, a total misunderstanding of our mission. We are set aside by grace to light up the dark places..and we do that with our good works.

Thought for the Day: What good works did people see in me today?

1 Corinthians 2:1-12

“When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” vss.1-2

Many contemporary evangelists have used a non-Pauline approach in the proclamation of God’s mysteries. By using market surveys they can discover the needs and desires of their prospective audience…and then they craft a message that meets those needs…and the results are impressive. Thousands come to hear the songs of praise and revel in the preacher’s ear-pleasing words of wisdom. Seldom will there be a focus on the crucifixion…it’s too depressing for modern sensibilities. Good Friday is glossed over in the presentation…often it’s totally subsumed in a massive Easter gathering. Paul had a different style…and it really wasn’t a crowd-pleaser. He came with fear and trembling with a simple message about the messiah who was crucified. He worried that his listeners would disregard his message because it didn’t make any sense…but he stubbornly went ahead and preached it anyway. Not everyone listened…but those who did caught a vision of God that defies human understanding. In his focus on the cross Paul spoke directly to suffering human hearts and and revealed the love of our hidden and mysterious God. Paul knew that we can’t really rise with Christ unless we have first died with him.

Thought for the Day: What does it mean “to die with Christ”?

Psalm 112:6-9

“They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.” vs. 9

In discussing the attributes of the righteous the psalmist includes some reflections on how they will be remembered. While folks in those years probably had no strong hope of an afterlife, he does believe that deeds of righteousness would not be forgotten, that they would endure forever. And these many years later, we who live in the light of Christ’s resurrection can give a strong “Amen!” to that sentiment. Our deeds do make a difference…they become our legacy for future generations. And what works of ours have persistent value? The psalmist defines them precisely. It’s our generosity that persists. Those who have distributed their wealth freely, those who have given to the poor, are the ones who are a blessing to those who come after. They are the ones who will be exalted. Jesus certainly hammered that message home in his teaching ministry. He calls people who spend their lives in accumulating wealth rich fools, and no matter how much we try to ignore those sayings, the truth remains, we take nothing with us to the next life! Our call then as disciples is to act as distributors of wealth, and not as hoarders. And we do the distribution, not to get our name on a building, but to insure that the poor are not forgotten. In God’s economy blessings are always intended to be shared.

Thought for the Day: How will the distribution of my estate benefit the poor?

Psalm 112:1-5

“They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.” vs. 4

The community of faith has long recognized that their manner of life is an important witness to the world. Even in the days of the psalmist, hundreds of years before Jesus, there was an understanding that faithful godly living would have an impact, that the life of the God-fearer would be like light in the midst of darkness. According to the psalmist, those living in such a way would be gracious, merciful, and righteous. Those descriptors remain suitable in our day for followers of Jesus, and are a marked contrast to the life-styles that dominate the popular culture. The remarkable thing is that we don’t have to try to be this way…this is the way we are! This is what the Spirit makes of us as we serve and love in the name of Jesus. We will be gracious…we will be merciful…we will be righteous. And we will have an impact on the world for good! How does the Spirit manage to get this done? Well, it usually doesn’t happen all at once. Most often it’s a process that occurs as we remain connected to Jesus through worship and prayer. Through that connection we are changed and transformed in ways we never dreamed possible. We won’t know it ourselves but others will see it and be amazed at the gracious, merciful person that begins to daily emerge. It’s all grace! It’s all the Spirit of God!

Thought for the Day: How has the Spirit transformed me?

Isaiah 58:4-9a

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” vs. 6

The words of the prophet in this chapter have been an inspiration to millions of people through the centuries. They’re certainly a huge blessing to any who want to walk in the Way of Jesus. Those who take them to heart know that the externals of piety, whether they be fasting, praying or study, always take second place to the deeds of love and mercy that we extend to the oppressed and the poor. This is not to say that those spiritual practices have no value. Of course they do. They provide nourishment for the soul…and that’s important. But taken to the extreme those same pious practices can be self-serving and isolating. What a blessing it is when we can escape our sanctuaries and pound nails at a Habitat house, prepare meals at Feed My Starving Children, protest injustices, write letters to congress, send money for disaster relief…the list goes on and on. These are the faith practices that please the heart of God and provide a witness to the world. And what’s even better, these are the areas where we can work with the people of other faith traditions and even those with no faith at all. Religious differences fade away when we come together to be the hands and feet of Christ in tending to the least and the lost.

Thought for the Day: How am I loosing the bonds of injustice?

Isaiah 58:1-3

“‘Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’ Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.” vs. 3

The prophet in this verse imagines a brief dialogue between worshippers and the Lord. The people are wondering why good things aren’t happening since they’ve been following the rituals of worship so faithfully. They’ve expected the Lord to be pleased with their precise attention to the details of the liturgy. The Lord’s response to their complaint is scathing. God is no fool…God knows that everything they’ve been doing has been in their own self-interest. And they’re the fools if they really  believe that God actually cares about their pious posturing and fasting. If they want to do God’s will they should give assistance to the workers they’ve been so busy oppressing. Through the centuries these words from Isaiah 58 have continued to be a blessing to the people of God. In every age they have reminded those who operate businesses or companies that if they really want to please God they need to be looking to the needs of the poor and not building wealth for themselves. We live in a time when such notions are ridiculed and at best ignored. It seems that most of the rich are only interested in protecting what they have and figuring out how to get more. Thank God for those few who understand God’s bottom line and who have chosen to use their wealth to lift up the oppressed.

Thought for the Day: What might cause billionaires to give away their wealth?

 Matthew 5:7-12

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” vs. 11

Most people enjoy hearing good things said about themselves and love the affirmations that come with popularity. To put it simply, we like being liked! In order for that to happen however, we’ll have to refrain from controversy as much as possible. We’ll have to be careful about what we say or do, even if it means being silent about things that matter deeply. If our intentionally non-offensive strategy works, as it often does, almost all others will speak well of us and we’ll have amazingly tranquil lives. Many followers of Jesus will fall into this category. But thank God for those who don’t! Jesus even sets aside a special blessing in the beatitudes for disciples who risk offending others for the sake of the gospel. It’s not that they’re being mean or nasty, but speaking truth to power is the guiding principle of their lives. Through the history of the church folks like this have faced persecution or even death…at the very least, they’ve made a bunch of enemies. These are the saints who have been on the front lines in every important battle against injustice and for equality. Because of their work, because they’ve risked the disfavor of family and friends, the oppressed of this world have experienced freedom and liberation. Thanks be to God for saints who care more about faithfulness than popularity!

Thought for the Day: For what am I willing to lose friends or risk my life?

 Matthew 5:1-6

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:” vss. 1-2

It’s no accident that Matthew has Jesus begin his ministry by speaking from a seated position on the top of a mountain. He wants his readers to think of Jesus as a rabbi, a new Moses, one who brings a radical reinterpretation of the old Sinaitic law. During this discourse, known now as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus touches on a broad range of topics and lays out clearly the rigorous standards of kingdom living. Given the context, it’s not strange that many readers regard the beatitudes, the introduction to the sermon, as a new set of commandments. But that’s not what they are! They are not new laws! On the contrary, they are a description of attributes that the followers of Jesus already possess. The disciples had them then and we have them now. We are the poor in spirit, the meek, the pure in heart,…and because we are, the kingdom of God has come near. Because we are the peacemakers, the merciful, the persecuted…heaven has come to earth. As we practice kingdom living we will absorb the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount; its precepts will be written on our hearts and we will actually practice what we preach…and the whole world will take note…and all people will be blessed.

Thought for the Day: Which of the beatitudes can be seen in me?