1 Timothy 1:12-17

“But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” vss. 13c-14

It seems strange in a world dominated by technology and science, with boundless information at our fingertips, that ignorance could flourish. But it does, and it isn’t limited to the uneducated and the poor. In fact, it seems that those at the top of our political food chains are particularly ignorant and operate in blissful unawareness of their raw stupidity. (Something readily apparent in every new election cycle!) It’s also true that ignorance is much easier for us to spot in others and is virtually impossible to see in ourselves. But sometimes, as happened with the Apostle Paul, there’s an explosion of light and insight and our eyes are opened to our own destructive ways. In those moments we are embarrassed and shamed by our ignorance, the pure selfishness that has dominated our decisions and deeds, and we yearn for change. And the good news is that none of us are beyond hope. Paul saw himself as the chief of sinners and he marveled that God was using him to bring love to the world. Grace overflowed for him, as it does for us as we grow in a love-centered faith that comes straight from the Spirit of God.

Thought for the Day: How can I know if I am ignorant or enlightened?

Psalm 51:6-10

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” vs. 10

According to tradition Psalm 51 was King David’s fervent prayer to God after his sins of adultery and murder were exposed by the prophet Nathan. While it’s unlikely that David actually wrote these words they are so powerful, honest and forthright that countless sinners through the years have adopted them as their own. Today’s verse recognizes that forgiveness is not the last step in our healing. God has even more in store for us. Not only are our sins wiped away, we actually get heart transplants! That old hardened, darkened heart is replaced by a brand new clean one, and more than that, a new and right spirit is planted within us. And what does that mean for daily living? Quite obviously, it means change. We can be different people. We don’t have to keep on being the same old jerks for a lifetime. That new spirit within us is the Holy Spirit and will daily bring forth all the the love, joy, peace, and patience that people around us have been yearning to see. By the grace of God we are transformed, recreated so to speak, and we can actually be the incredible persons we have been gifted to be. Now does this mean we will never sin again? Unfortunately, no! We will daily continue in sin even as we are daily transformed. We will never outgrow our need for grace and daily re-creation.

Thought for the Day: What’s the relationship between re-creation and recreation?

Psalm 51:1-5

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” vs. 1

Most people perk up when they hear the good news of God’s steadfast love and abundant mercy. They like knowing that our God is good and that forgiveness abounds. But many have trouble with the obvious corollary to God’s mercy, i.e. our deep and abiding sinfulness. Through the years people have railed against church teachings that point out human sin, saying that such an emphasis is damaging to our egos and ruinous to our self-esteem. Some don’t like to talk about sin at all…in fact some congregations have pretty much eliminated an order of confession from their worship. At best people will admit to have made a few mistakes in life, but that’s pretty much it. They’d rather just praise God and skip the sin talk. Yet it’s hard to understand how a message of grace can mean anything if we don’t acknowledge the sin that makes it necessary. The truth is that every single one of us is a sinner! There are no exceptions. That doesn’t mean we have to go around in sackcloth and ashes with dismal expressions on our faces. Because we are forgiven sinners our faces can shine like the sun and our smiles can dazzle rooms with their radiance. We can lift the hearts of the broken and fill the world with love…because the Lord our God is merciful!

Thought for the Day: When am I most aware of my sin?  

Exodus 32:11-14

“And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.” vs. 14

For some the view of God conjured up by this verse is less than satisfying. They’re troubled by the notion of the Lord planning to bring disasters on anyone, let alone the people of promise. If that’s true then maybe God did intentionally cause Katrina to ravage New Orleans to get even with its people for the excesses of Mardi Gras. And maybe the death of a child should be seen as an act of God, a punishment for sinful parental behavior. Certainly many have come to believe exactly these kinds of things. But what we fail to see is that this almost amusing little story was artfully crafted by the ancient Hebrews to introduce us to a God of boundless mercy. The point is not that God is going to get us if we’re bad! The truth is that when we’re bad, as we inevitably will be, out of God’s steadfast love comes amazing reconciliation and forgiveness. The good news that “the Lord changed his mind” is the underlying theme of scripture, the very foundation of the new life that we have in Christ Jesus. As we sing together, “Lord, have mercy,” echoing the plea of Moses, we can be confident that God will indeed smile on us in our brokenness and offer countless fresh starts on the journey.

Thought for the Day: What does the phrase “act of God” mean?

Exodus 32:7-10

“The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them;” vss. 7-8a

As we read the remembered reports of the defining liberation moment in Israel’s history we can’t help but be astounded at the fickle faith of the people. God had indeed done a marvelous work among them but now God seemed to be absent…and so was their leader. In an instant they moved to worship other gods, funner gods, it seems, and soon it was party time in the wilderness. That’s been a continuing issue for people of faith as we’re confronted with the perceived absence of God. Like the Israelites we look back at a watery deliverance as the beginning of our journey of faith. But the memories of our baptisms can quickly fade as we move through the rough and tumble of our wilderness experiences and God can seem far away. It’s then we begin to wonder why we’re being so disciplined when libertines are having so much fun. It’s at that point that many, convinced that their baptismal faith is impotent, turn away and begin to follow gods of their own making. And there are plenty of golden calves around…the only problem is that they have no power, and they will always let us down!

Thought for the Day: Where do I turn when God seems to be absent?

Luke 14:25-33

“So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” vs. 33

As we do our picking and choosing among the verses of our scripture, words like these from Luke are quickly discarded as irrelevant. We who are so tied to our possessions can’t imagine that Jesus ever meant this except in some metaphorical sense. Yet our history as God’s people is replete with stories of those who believed with their whole hearts that verses like this were normative for a life of discipleship. One of those was Macarius, an Egyptian monk of the 4th century, who upon returning to his desert cave once found a thief loading his possessions on a donkey. Acting as though he were a helpful passerby, Macarius assisted the robber in his labor, and when the thief left with the now heavily laden donkey, Macarius praised God for having been relieved of the burden of his possessions. Legendary though this story may be, there is at its core a great truth. Material goods are frequently more of a burden than a blessing and regularly become a stumbling block in our quest for serenity. There simply is no point in spending our lives in getting more stuff! So many of us know this to be true…yet we find it incredibly difficult to choose the path of simplicity. What a blessing it is when for one reason or another we finally find relief from material burdens and can concentrate on our freedom to be!

Thought for the Day: What are the signs that my possessions have become a burden?

Philemon 1-21

“I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.” vss. 10-13

On the surface it seems strange that Philemon is even included in scripture. It’s strictly a personal letter from Paul, to an old friend, Philemon, about his runaway slave, a fellow named Onesimus. Onesimus, whose name means “useful,” has come to Paul in prison and is now being sent back to his master, not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Paul was probably not intending to speak a word against the institution of slavery…it was simply a given for his time and place… yet through the years his words to Philemon have been used to demonstrate that slavery stands in direct opposition to the liberty and freedom that God intends for every person. His position was based on his now familiar premise that in Christ “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female.” (Galatians 3:28) This radical gospel teaching continues to challenge our generation of believers. The tendencies to enslave and marginalize are deeply ingrained in societies and cultures all over the world. It’s not easy to put aside long held prejudices and welcome those once despised as our brothers and sisters in Christ, but such is the will of God’s liberating Spirit.

Thought for the Day: How has the Spirit challenged my prejudices?

Psalm 1

“They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” vs. 3

There are some Christians who break into a cold sweat at the mere mention of meditation. They immediately bring to mind images of chanting yogis or yoginis in lotus positions and are quick to reject the possibility for themselves. It’s an unfortunate misconception and the psalmist would insist that they’re missing out on a blessed opportunity for growth and prosperity. Fortunately more and more followers of Jesus are discovering that quiet mediation does indeed reap amazing benefits.There’s no particular “best practice” for the contemplative process but most guides will recommend some sort of centering exercise. It could mean simply taking time with scripture, a repetition or memorization of verses that unleashes the insights of the Spirit in remarkable ways. And the body is important! Even slowing down our breathing can have a soothing and calming effect. Many report that as they find time each day for some form of meditation peace begins to touch their souls and bring serenity to their lives. Barrenness of spirit has become a huge issue in our fast-paced, media driven world. We can easily find ourselves living with frenzy as a daily companion. One sure antidote, the way recommended by the psalmist, is to choose a meditation that will connect our roots to the water of life.

Thought for the Day: What is the focus of my meditation?

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 19-20

The people of Israel were on the verge of entering the land of promise. The faith that had become their identity had been forged in the harsh realities of the desert and not in the fleshpots of Egypt. Their desert God, whom they had come to know in such an intense and personal way, was powerful and awesome and could not be contained in an idol of wood or stone. This was the God of cloud and fire, impenetrable and mysterious and the source of all light, the creator of the universe and the giver of life. As they paused on the banks of the Jordan Moses implored his congregation to remain faithful and loving, and hold fast to the One who had chosen them. Through the centuries the people of God have continued to find refreshment in the solitude of desert places. There as we center on prayer and the work of self-knowledge we are led by the Spirit to choices that lead to a more abundant life. Such retreats, away from the trivialities and anxieties of our culture, bring welcome reconnections with our Creator God and new hope as our journeys continue.

Thought for the Day: When have I experienced the Spirit in a desert place?

When Richard Anderson, the director of Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, asked me to write a daily meditation for their website, spiritinthedesert.org, I was excited to say that I would try it. I’ve been writing Advent and Lenten devotionals since 1994 and have enjoyed the discipline. And in these last months as I’ve been negotiating my passage into this third chapter of my life, I’ve wondered what I might do. I can’t just go to movies, watch television, and play golf…there had to be something more. And for right now, this is it!

I’ll be posting a meditation based on the Revised Common Lectionary texts for the week each day. If you’re interested in reading it you can either go to the Spirit in the Desert website (they’re doing some wonderfully creative things), or go to this website and sign up to be a follower. If you do follow this blog and give your email address, the meditation will show up in your email each day. Please know that I would welcome your comments.