1 Corinthians 15:8-11

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” vs. 10

Paul was very aware of his past. He had persecuted the Church with all the weapons at his disposal and had participated in the death of the first martyr, Stephen. And when he received a call from the Risen Christ to be an apostle he knew that he did not deserve it. Only by God’s grace had he been given the opportunity to be a missionary to the Gentiles–and it was grace that continued to sustain him and empower him in ministry. Sometimes believers are told that they deserve the good things that have come their way in the course of life, and some are tempted to believe that this is truly the case. But most people of faith are quick to laugh at such statements because in truth they deserve nothing. Everything they have and are is by the grace of God, and they know that it’s grace, not their good works or reputation, that will ultimately bring them home. So if there is a time when we are feeling particularly blessed, that would be a moment to give profuse thanks to God for the pure grace that is ours, and not waste a single second in thinking that we somehow deserve the goodness that has come our way.

Thought for the Day: When have I gotten what I deserve?

1 Corinthians 15:1-7

“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures..” vss. 3-4

While some believers have come to love Jesus because of his teaching and healing ministry they’re not as comfortable with his resurrection. It seems a gross violation of the laws of nature and they have a hard time making sense of it. It’s almost as though they prefer a dead Jesus to a living Christ. Well, Paul would have been appalled at that notion. In fact, he told the Corinthians that what he had handed on to them about Christ’s death and resurrection was of first importance in his gospel. This wasn’t something that he had made up–he was actually passing on what he had received from people he had persecuted. In fact if the good news of resurrection had not been the central part of that gospel that was planted and that flourished in ancient days, Jesus would have been forgotten long ago. We would do well to remember that as we consider what to teach and preach in our congregations. There is nothing more important to the life and ministry of the Church than the handing on of the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. Here is where we find forgiveness and hope, and that’s the most important gift we have for the next generation.

Thought for the Day: How do I hand on what I have received?

Psalm 138

“The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.  Do not forsake the work of your hands.” vs. 8

It’s not unusual for us to think about our purpose, and it’s a blessing when we sense we’ve been using our gifts and skills in the fulfillment of that purpose. It would be awful to wake up one day and realize we’d been going in exactly the wrong direction, though that does happen, probably more often than we think. The psalmist found consolation in the knowledge that finding our purpose is really not something to worry about. What counts is that the Lord’s purpose is fulfilled in us, and that can happen even when we don’t know what it is! Think about it! It’s not all up to us! The psalmist knew that the steadfast love of God endures forever, and it persists through every wrong turn and foolish action on the part of human beings. We are the work of God’s hands, and the image of God has been planted in every one of us. Oh there are certainly times when we get off track and our broken ways seem to threaten the goodness of creation–some are thinking we’re moving through such a time now. But the psalmist was confident, and so are we. God will not forsake humanity–and for better or for worse the Lord’s will be done among us!

Thought for the Day: What is the Lord’s purpose for me?

Isaiah 6:6-8

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’” vs. 8

As great as it was for Isaiah to glimpse the glory of God in his vision, the best was yet to come. The seraph touched his unclean mouth with a live coal and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” In that moment Isaiah heard that forgiveness is part of the fabric of the universe, and that even a sinner like him could receive a call to proclaim that good news to any who would listen. That message has resounded among the people of God through the centuries and continues to be our one source of hope in this broken world. Even though guilt visits us regularly in the course of our lives, when we confess our sin, both individual and corporate, we are forgiven, and our unclean lips are made clean. But because this is a message that is crying out to be heard, with the cleansing there comes an invitation. Now most believers don’t identify with Isaiah’s experience–they don’t believe that they’ve been called to share the good news. But some do! And what a blessing it is when folks respond with Isaiah, “Here I am; send me!” They’re forgiven sinners like anyone else, but when they share the message of restoration with the broken, the world is changed!

Thought for the Day: How do I respond to the question, ”Whom shall I send?”

Isaiah 6:1-5

“And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” vs. 5

While there are similarities in the “call” stories that we find in scripture, there are also significant differences. Isaiah described his experience as a kind of vision that had taken place in the temple, one that was so spectacular he likely could have given the day and the hour. He had seen the glory of God, and it was overwhelming, and most significantly it had reminded him of his own uncleanness. He wasn’t worthy to be in the presence of such awesome Divinity, and what he reports sums up the essence of the human experience. As we live out our days in this magnificent universe believers will from time to time catch glimpses of God’s ultimate goodness and glory. It could happen in worship and many times it happens as we interact with the splendors of the creation. But while those moments are wonderful they also remind us of our  brokenness and reveal our imperfections. At times the sheer ugliness of human behaviors can drive us to despair. And even though we’re appalled, we also have to admit that the perpetrators are our brothers and sisters. And while we may not like to admit our own culpability for any of the brokenness, we stand with Isaiah. We live among “a people of unclean lips,” and their guilt is ours!

Thought for the Day: Why is it hard to confess corporate guilt?

Luke 4:24-30

“When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.” vss. 28-29

We might not understand the rage felt by the people of Nazareth when they turned against Jesus after his teaching moment in the synagogue–it seems so abrupt and out of proportion to what he actually said. Nor do we understand the rage that builds up in our own congregations from time to time–but it does happen! For some the COVID years were particularly traumatic, and the internal strife broke the hearts of many believers. Some congregations didn’t survive those years, and many are still struggling to recover. When decisions were made to discontinue in-person worship based on recommendations from national or synodical leaders some believed their religious freedoms were being threatened. And when they saw that other congregations didn’t curtail public worship at all, a few became incensed. The rage was palpable, pastors were driven to resign, and many people moved on to less restrictive faith communities. Some say that the only blessing of those years was the enhancement of livestream worship, but technology proved ineffective in healing the ruptures, and in-person participation has been slow to recover. We don’t know if rage continued to plague the synagogue in Nazareth, but it’s really not likely that Jesus was ever welcomed back with open arms.

Thought for the Day: How does my congregation deal with rage?

Luke 4:21-23

“All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!”’”  vss. 22-23a

As Luke writes it, Jesus’ response to the folks in his hometown seems harsh to our ears. We wonder why he didn’t put the best construction on what they said instead of taking offense. The day that began with his triumphant return ended with his disastrous rejection, and it seems like Jesus exacerbated the situation instead of defusing it. But Luke wasn’t writing for the Nazareth Gazette and he really didn’t care about the details. So we should read the story as he intended it, a kind of parable that foreshadowed the ultimate rejection of Jesus by those who thought they knew him best. We still see that sort of thing going on in our churches and congregations. We can get real “cozy” with “our Jesus” and begin to think that we’re the insiders. As a result, when it seems we’re getting called out of our comfort zones, it can get uncomfortable for us. We’d rather stick with the familiar Jesus and assume that he will take care of our families, rather like an old-fashioned family doctor. So when a confronting message comes from Jesus, sometimes through a pastor, we can be irritated, and folks can even get angry. 

Thought for the Day: When folks get angry with a pastor what do they do?

1 Corinthians 13:8b-13

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” vs. 12

Paul could hold his own with the great debaters of his age. He wasn’t intimidated in the least by the inner core of Jesus’ disciples. His theological arguments combined the best of Hebrew scriptures and Greek philosophy. But he also knew that, when it came to knowing God, he was little more than a child. Everything that he had learned from his teachers and his experience could only give him a glimpse of God’s glory. We would do well to remember that as we walk in the way of Jesus and relate to our fellow believers. We’re all infants, and even the most learned among us are guessing when we presume to describe the Great God. The intricate doctrines that we’ve learned in the course of our study can be satisfying and helpful, but they’re human inventions, a futile attempt to know the unknowable. That’s not meant to be a disparaging thought–it really is the best we can do, and it’s good to remember that as we share our thoughts and ideas with others. Like Paul we know that the best is yet to come, and that one day we will see and know God fully. In the meantime we are called to focus on the big three: faith, hope, and love, and make loving the true center of all we say and do. 

Thought for the Day: Why am I proud of my knowledge?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.” vss. 4-6

Having presented love as the more excellent way, Paul now proceeds, in one succinct sentence, to define it. We’re familiar with his definition because we’ve heard it read at countless wedding ceremonies as encapsulating what the bible has to say about love. We can’t say it’s a bad choice. It is nice to say something about love at a wedding, and these words are surely better than what is read at some. Of course Paul wasn’t talking about married love at all–he gets into that in a radical way in his letter to the Ephesians. But here he’s describing the way in which members of the body will treat one another, and his words are beautiful. We will be patient and kind, not arrogant or boastful, and not insist on doing things our own way. Paul’s reflections were likely based on experience and his insights are familiar to all who read them. He’d been around irritable and resentful people and he knew how wearisome they are. He’d heard folks rejoice at salacious gossip that exposes the faults of others. Oh how we love to hear about the sins of others! And he knew how precious it is when we can count on others to tell the truth! How wonderful it is to love and to be loved!

Thought for the Day: Where is my loving community?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” vs. 1

Paul concluded his lesson on spiritual gifts for the Corinthians by introducing what he called “a more excellent way,” the passage we have come to know as the “Love Chapter” of the bible. He begins with a critique of the practice that had begun to divide the congregation. Some in Corinth had begun speaking in tongues, not so they could communicate with those speaking in other languages, as on the day of Pentecost, but as a sign they were spiritually superior to others. Paul doesn’t tell them to stop speaking in tongues but lets them know plainly that, without love, they’re only a nuisance in the congregation. In fact, he tells them, love is even more important than prophetic powers, faith, or generosity. Through the centuries millions of believers have experienced the truth of what Paul told the Corinthians. There really is nothing more important than love in the life of a congregation. Preachers can present sermons that regularly flop but if their hearers experience love in their presence, most any fault can be overlooked. And love can’t be faked. It’s easy to mimic piety in our prayers and behaviors, but not love! People will spot us as hypocrites in an instant, and intimacy will be impossible. Love is the key to the health of our life together!

Thought for the Day: How do I experience love in my congregation?