Genesis 50:19-21

“Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” vs. 20

The whole cycle of the Hebrew ancestral stories comes to a warm and fuzzy end with Joseph’s words to his brothers. Not only does he offer them mercy and forgiveness, but he tells them that even the brokenness of their relationship has been used by God for good.

Humans have long known the great truth behind the words of Genesis. This is how life works. The most destructive acts of our malicious behavior have had good and glorious consequences. It happens again and again, an endless cycle of death and resurrection that can even be seen in the course of an individual life.

There have likely been occasions when each of us have experienced the end of a dream, a time when our coat of many colors has been ripped from us and we’ve been left with rags. Those are awful moments–it never feels good to have our dreams dashed. But we also know that this is not the end of our story, and sometimes the next chapters are better than anything we might have imagined. We might like to do without the pain in life, but the truth is that it’s all part of the story–and in God the best is always yet to come.

Thought for the Day: My experiences of pain followed by gain.

Genesis 50:15-18

“‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” vs. 17

The brothers of Joseph were convinced that once their father died, they would lose their protection, so they made up a story about Jacob’s last wishes. They told Joseph that their father had begged him to forgive the crime of his brothers. Of course there’s no indication that he did any such thing, but it did make for a good story. And it’s probably what Jacob would have desired. Fathers do want their children to live in peace and friendship. 

Last words do have significant power and can cover up all manner of offenses. It’s probably not uncommon for survivors to attribute loving last words to their parents, even if such words were never said. Certainly it’s what most parents would like said in their name–and many loving lies can be well said in such circumstances. They can actually have restorative and reconciling significance. 

It’s important for all to remember that, as we approach the end of life, the words that we say have additional significance to our loved ones. These are the affirmations that we hang on to, and sometimes they can erase some enormous wrongs. Of course it’s best not to wait until the last minute to speak words of love and affection. Sometimes death comes quickly and some important things can be left unsaid. There’s really no point in waiting!

Thought for the Day: What last words have meant the most to me?

Matthew 18:18-20

“Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” vs. 19

Because some passages in the bible are obscure, they have been subject to a variety of interpretations. This verse, for example, has led to the belief that if two people agree completely on any prayer request, it’s going to happen! God will do it for them, no questions asked!

It sounds like a wonderful promise. The problem is that prayer doesn’t seem to work this way. And when it doesn’t we’re forced to come up with reasons why it hasn’t. Of course it’s always easy to blame the other person for the error. Perhaps they didn’t say the prayer in exactly the right way. Maybe they were insincere. Scapegoating is an easy out!

Of course, prayer always involves mystery, and thinking that we’ve figured out the key to getting desired responses is bound to be a disappointment. Jesus is talking about the power of forgiveness here and the fact that mercy has been delegated by God to the Church. That means that we can have certainty in the forgiveness that is channeled to us through the absolution offered by the gathered community. When confession has taken place and the officiant says, “In obedience to the command of Christ, I forgive you all your sins,” the burden of our transgressions is completely taken away. What has been loosed on earth, has been loosed in heaven!

Thought for the Day: Why is confession and absolution sometimes omitted in worship?

Matthew 18:15-17

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.” vs. 15

Matthew is likely thinking of his own community of believers as he recalls these words of Jesus about reconciliation. Because life is communal it’s been natural for humans to find their identity as families, clans, tribes, and nations. So when the Spirit called the Church into being the believers naturally gathered themselves into communities of faith. 

But living as a community is not easy! Because of human brokenness people find it enormously difficult to get along. Under the best circumstances there will be tensions, and individuals will be hurt and offended. And it’s never an easy matter to resolve those tensions. 

That’s why the Church, from its earliest days, remembered the direction of Jesus to his disciples. And the basic rule was this: No triangulating, no gossip, no scapegoating! If anyone in the community injures you, it should be between you and that person. No one else should be involved. And more often than not, this will be enough to bring reconciliation and restoration. 

This has continued to be the blueprint for unity in the Church through all these centuries. And it still works! Does it always turn out the way Jesus said it would? Of course not! Sometimes more work needs to be done. But nobody has ever come up with a better first step!

Thought for the Day: How has the one-on-one rule worked for me?

Romans 13:11-14

“Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy.” vss. 12b-13

There’s a reason parents worry when their children miss their nightly curfews. Despite what their teens might say, there’s not much good that can happen after midnight! Darkness has a way of loosening moral convictions and increasing mayhem. And that’s the way it’s always been. Even Paul talks about this reality as he closes his letter to the Romans.

And it’s not only teens who are affected. Without the sun to guide our ways all of us find it easier to wander when darkness becomes our companion. We do and say things in the dark that we wouldn’t dream of saying or doing in the light. 

Now, this isn’t a matter of our salvation. We are loved by God 24/7 and just because our inhibitions sometimes leave us in the darkness, those behaviors can never separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. But the results of those uninhibited words and actions can and do wreak havoc with our closest relationships and undermine our witness. What we do and say does make a difference, and licentious living will ultimately destroy any serenity we could ever hope to have. 

The antidote to such carelessness is simple. Walk in the Light and we will never go astray!

Thought for the Day: Why do we lose inhibitions in the darkness?

Romans 13:8-10

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

There is nothing better in this flawed world than to love one another! That was Paul’s conclusion as he neared the end of his long and sometimes tedious letter to the Romans, and it has been the central teaching of every authentic religious leader ever since. 

Of course, having affirmed the centrality of love, there remains a lot to be said. Folks can go on endlessly describing the many facets of loving, and narrowly defining it to fit a particular religious point of view. What we must remember is that all such notions, no matter how beautiful they may be, remain the products of our human point of view.

Paul knew this of course, and taught that we learn love only after imitating Christ by  emptying ourselves of all our various cultural and religious selves. When we get to the end of this long and somewhat painful process of discarding all that is dear to us, we will be at our divine core. We will be one with Christ, and in Christ we will exude love, mercy, and kindness from every pore, and there will be a purity to those virtues that we never even dreamed possible. And it just happens! We will have no understanding of where the effortless loving is coming from. We only know that it is the pure presence of God’s Holy Spirit! And it’s a wonderful place to be!

Thought for the Day: When have I experienced spontaneous loving?

Psalm 119:37-40

“Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.” vs. 37 

The psalmist could not be more clear! He asks the Lord to preserve his eyes from looking at vanities, which we could probably translate as “keep me from wasting my precious time looking at my phone!” It is estimated that the average person spends about five hours a day squinting at those little screens we carry with us through every waking hour and that sit by our beds at night. This is a seismic shift in the way humans have come to use their time, and we wonder at the consequences.

Of course there are some who believe that this change is good, and that our phones allow us to stay connected to our families and the world as never before. But others can’t help but note the costs. A phone is no substitute for personal conversation with all its nuances, and it certainly removes us from any contact from the natural world. Flowers are not just meant to be seen, they yearn to share their scents and textures as well, and they thrive when tended. And no matter how precious the ubiquitous cat videos are, they are no substitute for the warmth of a purring kitten.

The psalmist asks for life according to the ways of the Lord, a full and rich life that will abound with acts of love, kindness, and affection. It could be that walking in those ways will mean setting aside our phones!

Thought for the day: How do I waste my time?

Psalm 119:33-37

“Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.” vss. 35-36

Like most of us the psalmist had a deep desire to walk in the way of righteousness. He knew that this was the way to true delight, and we can relate. It does feel good to lead good and decent lives and we bask in those beautiful, and sadly rare, moments in which we feel at one with the Universe, and living as God desires. It’s not easy to get to those times with any meaningful significance because they require a massive realignment of the center of our being. Our hearts need to be turned in the direction of obedience and away from personal gain and material accumulation.

That happens, not with a raw exertion of will, and a decision to focus on change, but on precisely the opposite. Jesus called it dying to self and Paul said it was an emptying of self, but it’s pretty much the same thing. We give up the world’s agenda for happiness and contentment and follow the prompting of the Spirit, that spark of the Divine that lives within each of us. It means being quiet before the Lord until we hear the voice of Love speaking from deep inside. And before we know what is happening spontaneous loving pours from every pore of our bodies, and the world changes around us. And it’s all God!

Thought for the Day: What does spontaneous loving feel like?

Ezekiel 33:7-11

“So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.” vs. 7

Ezekiel had been taken to Babylon with the first group of captives in the early 6th century BCE. There he had been called to be a prophet to all those in exile. It was not a good job! Being a prophet seldom is! He understood himself as being compelled to issue warnings to the people whenever they crossed the line into what he understood as wickedness. It was tempting for him to ignore the word of the Lord and let the people face the consequences of their sin. But the Lord wouldn’t let him off the hook. If he didn’t say anything it would be him who got the punishment!

We regularly face Jeremiah’s dilemma in our families and communities. We know enough about behaviors and their consequences to know that some folks are skating on thin ice. We know, based on our experience in the world, that, if they continue in the way they have chosen, they’re going to have difficulties. They may even die! 

And we’d like very much to say, “Oh well, too bad. It’s not my problem.” But we can’t get out of it that easily. Sometimes keeping our mouths shut is not the best option, and if we love these folks, we have an obligation to warn them of the dangers ahead. That isn’t pleasant and it may lose us a friend, but prophets can’t be still.

Thought for the Day: When does another person become my business?

Matthew 16:24-28

“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” vs. 25

While these challenging words of Jesus have sparked countless debates among his followers, they also touch on the essential teachings of all the major religions. Humans know intuitively that the divine spark is the essence of life and that it resides in the heart of every person. Through the centuries authentic spiritual leaders from many faith backgrounds have taught that it’s possible to live as Jesus taught. 

The road to such spiritual enlightenment is difficult and simple at the same time. Essentially it means rejecting what the world teaches us about self and allowing the integration of the Divine Presence with our soul, that spark of divinity that lies deep inside. This happens, not when we try harder, but when we surrender and give up trying to be other than what we are. Often this will mean sitting in quiet meditation as we free our minds from the cares of the world and allow access to the Spirit of God. And in the sounds of the silence we will hear words of unconditional love and begin to understand that we are loved deeply as we are. We are not who the world says we are! We bear the DNA of God’s genome–and knowing that is worth more than any amount of silver or gold. In losing our life we will have found it!

Thought for the Day: When do I come close to my divine center?