Psalm 27:6-9

“Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!” vs. 9

The psalmist couldn’t help thinking that God might for some reason turn against him and desert him in a time of need. It seemed logical. Even though God had been faithful in the past there was always a chance that God would go into hiding. It’s so easy to get caught up in that kind of reasoning…after all we’ve learned from human interactions that even the best relationships can fall apart. Some Christians are severely troubled by thoughts like this. They live in constant fear that they’re going to fall into sin or do some bad thing, and that God in response is going to become angry, even though they’ve been so careful. When Martin Luther was becoming a monk he spent many long hours in confession because he couldn’t be perfect…he was always having some bad thought or doing something wrong, and then he would have to run back to his confessor. It took a long time for him to achieve a sense of peace with God, and that only happened when he realized that God would never desert him, that his salvation had already been assured, and that it had come to him as a gift. Fearing God means respecting and worshiping God, not being afraid of God. This is most certainly true!

Thought for the Day: If God won’t forsake us, why do we sometimes feel forsaken?

Psalm 27:1, 4-5

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” vs. 1

Sometimes the world comes at us with a vengeance and there’s trouble and suffering on every hand. Stuff happens that we never anticipated and never dreamed possible. In those moments faith in the Lord is an incomparable resource, a blessing more valuable than any credit card or retirement fund. That’s how the psalmist was feeling when this hymn of praise was composed. Through faith he knew there was nothing to fear. And it’s true! When we know that God is on our side we can handle every trial and deal with every adversity. Now that doesn’t mean we won’t feel pain. When we are hurting we’ll wail, gnash our teeth, and cry our eyes out! Having confidence in the Lord does not mean that we need to bury our feelings or make believe everything is fine when it isn’t. But for people of faith there will be light in the darkness…and amazing strength, a strength that surprises and gives support we hadn’t expected. And day by day as we move through the despair we discover that smiles can return to our faces, and joy to our hearts. Of course not everyone has that kind of faith…and without it there is no foundation…no stronghold…and the fear can be overwhelming. We see that contrast between faith and no faith from time to time…and in those moments our gratitude for faith is amplified. There really is no greater blessing!

Thought for the Day: How has faith been a blessing for me?

 Isaiah 9:1-4

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” vs. 2

For the prophet the coronation of the new Judean king was the occasion for great joy, a time to celebrate light after a long period of darkness and despair. From now on things would be different, prosperity would return, and the glory of former days would be restored. We see some of those same feelings surfacing in our country as the new president awaits inauguration. His followers are convinced that this is the dawning of a new age and that our nation will be made great again. Of course others are equally certain that the opposite is true, that we will soon be living in a land of deep darkness. The truth is that, as the people of Judah rapidly found out, there is no king, national leader, or president who is the Light of the World. That honor belongs only to one, Jesus of Nazareth from the land of Galilee. He established a kingdom that is in this world but not of this world and his followers are the ones who bring light to those living in darkness. Their chief loyalty is to Jesus and their community transcends national boundaries and political affiliations. Their aim is to bring healing to those who are suffering and to lift up those who are oppressed. As followers of Jesus they are the Light of the World!

Thought for the Day: What should followers of Jesus expect of our new president?

John 1:37-42

“He said to them, ’Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.” vs. 39

According to John’s gospel, when the two disciples, Andrew and his unnamed buddy, asked where Jesus was staying, he invited them to come with him and “hang out” for the day. And so they did…and came away impressed! Whatever Jesus did or said was enough to convince them that he was the long awaited messiah…and they became his followers. The key to understanding their commitment can be found in the word “remained.” It’s mentioned again in chapter 8 where Jesus says that those who “remain” in his word are truly his disciples. It’s in “hanging out” with Jesus that we discover the blessings of being connected to him. And that’s precisely what so many people miss. They know about Jesus and have maybe even been to worship services, but they’ve never spent time with him. So just how does that happen? If it’s not a matter of going to his room at a local bed and breakfast, how can we find where he’s at? The answer is more obvious than we might expect…he’s present in his body, i.e. the community of faith. “Hanging out” with Jesus means spending time…worshiping, praying, studying, eating, drinking… with brothers and sisters in Christ! In their fellowship we can have connection with Jesus, not just for a day, but for a lifetime.

Thought for the Day: How connected am I to my faith community?

John 1:29-36

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” vs. 29

In our scriptures there are many descriptive names that are attached to Jesus, but none has had more impact or power than the simple phrase, “Lamb of God.” It’s a part of the liturgy of Holy Communion, right after the words of institution. Week after week we sing it as we prepare to come to the table, “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.” It’s a powerful reminder that the death of Jesus has been indelibly connected to the forgiveness of sins from the very beginning. We can debate different theories of the atonement until the cows come home but if we separate the cross from forgiveness we risk losing the church’s most potent and meaningful metaphor. During his lifetime Jesus regularly reached out to sinners with love and told them that their sins were forgiven. In Holy Communion he reaches out to us with that same assurance. By faith he is really present to us in the eating and the drinking, and by faith, he is the Lamb of God who has mercy on us and takes away our sin. However we understand the words and the ritual, there is amazing power here, a power that frees and cleanses sinners.

Thought for the Day: How does the Lamb of God image speak to me?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him,” vss. 4-5a

Though Paul saw himself as an apostle, he sounds much like a pastor as he writes his letter to the Corinthians. For though we later find that he has heard some disturbing things about this congregation, he begins with words of affirmation that recognize their giftedness. He wants them to know that he admires and cherishes them, that they are indeed a chosen and elect community of faith. That’s really the first thing that should be said about any of us. So often we focus on our shortcomings, the ways we don’t measure up, and forget that God’s grace has been showered upon us all. And more than that, we have been enriched in Christ Jesus, and blessed with spiritual gifts in abundance. We have the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life…there is nothing lacking! And these aren’t just religious platitudes, empty words designed to manipulate us into blameless living. These affirming words actually describe the way we are. When we take them to heart, when we believe them to be true, we become the beautiful people God has designed us to be. The law can’t accomplish this…only grace has the power to change us…and it does!

Thought for the Day: How can grace do such incredible things?

Psalm 40:7-11

“I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.” vs. 10

When the psalmist had a good day, everyone knew about it. He was not about to cover up the joy, thanksgiving, and gratitude that had filled his heart, and that he was convinced had come from God. Amazingly, there’s a certain wariness about such behaviors in our faith communities. We don’t like to be too exuberant about the good things going on for us. Maybe we think it’ll sound like bragging, like we’re claiming a closer relationship with Jesus than others have. Or perhaps we’re trying to be sensitive to the pain and depression that others are feeling. It’s certainly true that many people are struggling in our congregations, and it could be that some don’t want to hear how good things are going for us. They’d rather talk about how miserable they’re feeling…and they maybe expect us to keep our mouths shut about our own joy and just listen to them. Certainly it’s a good thing to practice sensitivity as we live in community, but that doesn’t mean keeping our mouths shut about the blessings that come our way. After all we do have a calling to share the good news…and that includes telling about our experiences of God’s love.

Thought for the Day: How comfortable am I talking about received blessings?

Psalm 40:1-6

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” vss. 1-2

Many of us have times of trial, moments that seem to drag on for days and weeks, even months, so long that it’s hard to remain patient. We may even wonder if there’s any point to prayer, and then one day it’s as though the Lord hears our cry. There’s no opening up of the heavens, no voice from the sky, only a profound sense of God’s presence, and a deep and overwhelming feeling of gratitude. External circumstances may not even have changed, but on the inside there is a big difference. There’s laughter on our lips and joy in our hearts…it’s as though the world has brightened up, like there’s more light along the way. All of a sudden, instead of making daily lists of all that’s wrong with life, we find ourselves giving thanks and enumerating all the blessings that God has been sending. We even feel healthier, more optimistic and hopeful about the future. It would be nice if we could engineer such breakthroughs and figure out a formula for cheering ourselves up, but that doesn’t seem to be the way life works. Instead we muddle along until the day when goodness happens…and then we rejoice in it, giving full-throated praise and thanks to God. Would that such days would be multiplied in every life!

Thought for the Day: When have I been overwhelmed by gratitude?

Isaiah 49:5-7

“he says, ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’’ vs. 6

In these verses the prophet is speaking of Israel in very personal terms as the servant of God, and indicates that her mission has been expanded. The exile in Babylon should not be thought of as the failure of God’s plan for the tribes of Israel, but as an opportunity for the servant to be used in an even more spectacular way to reach all the people of the earth. This is standard operating procedure for the Lord. We see it particularly in the mission of Jesus. He came to his own people proclaiming the coming kingdom. His own people rejected him, even putting him to death, but the grave could not hold him, and he became the light of the world. The same sort of thing happens regularly on a lesser scale in the lives of Jesus’ followers. When our initial plan for mission falls flat on its face, something new is born, and the results are more spectacular than anyone even dreamed possible. It really is the sort of thing we should come to expect as we do God’s work. A closed door only means that a new door is going to open and there will be new opportunities to bear fruit.

Thought for the Day: Times when my initial dream has been too small.

 Isaiah 49:1-4

“But I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.’” vs. 4

The prophets of old had courage, conviction, and a strong sense that they had a word from the Lord that the people desperately needed to hear. They poured out their hearts in mission, frequently facing rejection and sometimes experiencing suffering and death. The words of today’s text could have been uttered by any number of them. After a lifetime of service and frustration there was not much reward at looking back. These preachers didn’t get plaques from appreciative congregations. They weren’t rewarded with pensions and retirement plans. No one ever paid any attention to them for the long term! Sometimes that’s how it works out for the faithful…there is a sense that everything we’ve spent our strength for is pointless. Some even feel that their whole lives have been a failure, that they’ve been unappreciated and undervalued…even by their children… that the good things they’ve tried to do just haven’t worked out. The prophet’s stance is instructive for us. He says that even though he feels like he’s labored in vain, he wouldn’t change a thing, because he’s been on the right side, his cause was with the Lord. May that be our consolation in our moments of doubt. Faithfulness is its own reward! It is enough to have served the living Lord!

Thought for the Day: What does it feel like to labor in vain?