John 21:1-8

“That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake.” vw. 7

Chapter 21 appears to be a kind of an epilogue that was added to the gospel of John sometime after it was completed. It consists of an account of another resurrection appearance by Jesus, this time in Galilee, and could have been an attempt to rehabilitate the image of Peter who had earlier denied Jesus. The section starts with some of the disciples back in their hometown when Peter suggests that they go fishing. After they worked all night and caught nothing, at dawn a man appears on the shore and calls out to them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Only after another disciple recognizes the Risen Lord does Peter take action. He leaps into the water, struggles ashore, and there discovers that it is indeed Jesus. The whole episode reminds us that resurrection is mysterious, and isn’t a matter of physical resuscitation. The Risen Christ is elusive, full of the Spirit, and is always full of surprises. Even now the Resurrected One appears out of nowhere in our lives for the purpose of rehabilitation. We probably won’t recognize him–he’s a master of disguise, but when he makes himself known, often in the breaking of bread, his mission is unmistakable. We are a sent people!

Thought for the Day: What’s Jesus’ favorite disguise?

Revelation 5:11-14

“…singing with full voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!’” vs. 12

When the door of heaven is opened and the Seer is taken up in the Spirit to view its wonders, we are quickly introduced to the slaughtered Lamb of God, a metaphor for the Christ that is used 28 times in the book of Revelation. Obviously the early Christians were familiar with this image that is lifted from the sacrificial practices of Judaism as described in the Hebrew scriptures. As they searched for ways to describe the sacrificial love of God as revealed in the cross it made sense to identify Jesus with the Lamb. And even though that image of Christ has to some extent fallen out of favor, it still remains as an integral part of the Eucharistic liturgy. In fact the Agnus Dei or Lamb of God is sung every Sunday in many congregations as the people ready themselves to receive the Body and Blood in the form of bread and wine.It’s a beautiful hymn, a gift to believers from the writer of Revelation, and makes a strong connection between the death of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. And that’s important! No one should ever leave a regular worship service without having heard that their sins are forgiven in Christ Jesus. And whether we like it or not, there’s no more powerful metaphor for forgiveness than the slaughtered Lamb. Praise be to God for the Agnus Dei!

Thought for the Day: What’s my favorite part of the Communion liturgy?

Psalm 30:6-12

“As for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved.’ By your favour, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.” vss. 6-7

The psalmist had been confident in his relationship with the Lord, and, in his estimation, he had been blessed. Like many people he believed that there was a link between faith and prosperity, and since he had wealth, he anticipated that the good times would continue. And then the bottom dropped out and things turned sour. Judging from the context of his prayer, he became very ill, almost to the point of death. At that point, with his confidence shaken, he had turned back to the Lord, and in humility pleaded for healing. His story is not rare! There are many who could  tell the same sad story. We did our investing, worked hard, and piled up nice little nest eggs for our retirement and we learned quickly to enjoy the perks of prosperity. We plan trips and the future looks good, and on Sundays we thank the Lord for our blessings. And then life happens. Sometimes a routine physical reveals the unthinkable. Financial resources are depleted by forces beyond our control. Our stable family relationships begin to disintegrate. Our whole attitude changes and in despair we turn back to God, and discover that our true wealth is not in the material, but in the spiritual.  And Jesus becomes once again our refuge and strength!

Thought for the Day: When have I gotten “wake up calls?”

Psalm 30:1-5

“For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” vs. 5

Most folks don’t consider that their unfortunate circumstances have come because of God’s anger. They recognize that in a broken world there is bound to be suffering, tears, and pain, and that those moments aren’t necessarily connected to our behaviors or actions. The psalmist did believe that God could be angry, but only for a moment, and the anger would be quickly followed with favor, a deep and profound love that endured for a lifetime. For some that observation reflects the experience loving parents have with their children. There are moments of anger, but the bond of love will last forever. And once we’ve gotten a few years under our belts we also come to know that weeping is regularly followed by joy. And maybe we too have gone to bed with tears in our eyes and then awakened with gladness in our hearts. It’s miraculous what a night of good sleep can do to bring healing to life’s calamities, and that’s especially true when our lives have been molded by a deep and profound confidence in a living, loving Lord! As believers we were weaned on the Easter message of resurrection, and that good news has the power to sustain us through every troubling chapter of our life story. In Christ every ending is also a wonderful beginning!

Thought for the Day: What does a good sleep do for me?

Acts 9:3-9

“He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’” vss. 5-6

There are some who refer to this experience on the road to Damascus as the conversion of Paul, but that description misses the point. Paul was not converted, but remained a proud and faithful Jew, a man proud of his training and heritage. And what happened to him on the road was his call. On the surface it was a foolish choice, exactly the opposite of what human agency would have predicted. Paul had been the chief enemy of the Christian community, completely mistrusted by those he was now being called to love and serve. We can be sure it was a shock to Paul too. He knew the Lord’s voice. He was arresting Christians because he loved the Lord, and then in a flash of light the Lord was revealed to be none other than Jesus. To the end of his life Paul believed that this was his call to be an apostle, not a substitute chosen by the roll of some dice, but the equal of Peter and John. As time passed the Spirit revealed to him that he was to be the apostle to the Gentiles, and he assumed that role with joy and gladness. His story reminds us that Jesus chooses unlikely folks for the most important work, and often we’re the ones that he has picked.

Thought for the Day: What is my call?

Acts 5:1-2

“Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” vss. 1-2

The number of believers was growing at a rapid rate in Jerusalem. Saul, a young zealous Pharisee, was appalled at what was happening and acted on behalf of the high priest to destroy their community. He went from house to house with his minions searching for Christians to throw them into prison. Many scattered and ran for shelter in other cities. When Saul heard that some had gone to Damascus in neighboring Syria, he arranged to pursue and arrest them. His tactics were similar to those used by enforcement agencies in our time. He didn’t care about the rights of the believers, he only wanted to eliminate them. In his mind, he was acting justly, and the piety and bravery of men like Stephen seemed to enrage him. His story reminds us of how dangerous religious people can be. In fact throughout history the greatest threat to the gentle, loving, sacrificial Way of Jesus has come from those claiming to uphold the laws of God. Their bigotry has been cruel and insatiable, and always wrapped in the facade of piety. And just when we think that such attitudes are a thing of the past, the persecutions begin anew!

Thought for the Day: How can religious people be so cruel?

John 20:24-31

“But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” vs. 31

Those who read the gospel of John are regularly puzzled by his account of Jesus’ ministry and life. Often the details seem exaggerated and many of his stories aren’t even included in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. No wonder some end up identifying with Thomas–in fact doubts are often our regular companions all the way through the book. But at the end John offers clarity. He has been intentional in the way he wrote, wanting only to convince readers that Jesus really is the Messiah. His desire is that people like Thomas, folks who were “out of the room” when Jesus appeared, but who didn’t get a second chance, will “come to believe” and thereby receive life. His choice of words resonates with the experience of many believers. For one reason or another faith is hard and initially there are a ton of roadblocks. But then stuff happens, objections are less compelling, and bit by bit there are “coming to Jesus” moments of insight. Belore long our faith is solid, unshaken by old inconsistencies,  and strong enough to take us through every kind of suffering on the Way. Then it will truly be said of us, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have come to believe.”

Thought for the Day: How did I come to believe?

John 20:19-24

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.’” vss. 21-22

Each of the gospel writers chooses a different way of describing what we call the Great Commission. John tells his readers that it happened immediately after Jesus appeared to the disciples in Jerusalem after his resurrection. Two things are involved: first, he sends them out, and then, to empower their mission, he breathes on them the Holy Spirit. Those two actions launched the greatest outreach ministry the world has ever known, and they continue to be the guiding force in the life of every believer. When we were called through our baptisms to be children of God we didn’t get a free ticket on the Heavenly Express. Rather we were presented with lifelong marching orders, a call to live as Jesus lived, to be his presence to the broken and the hurting, to be a light in the midst of darkness. We know the routine. We’re familiar with his life. We know how much he loved. There’s nothing about the life of Jesus that we don’t know–so we can’t plead ignorance. And we can’t even say that we’re impotent or incapable. Remember? He breathed his Spirit into his disciples–and we’ve got Holy Spirit power too. And oh what wonderful things we are doing! Jesus is alive in this world, he’s alive in us! 

Thought for the Day: How’s my mission going?

Revelation 1:5b-8

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” vs. 8

We’re used to the language John used to describe God. After all, many of us grew up with the hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy, and came to love the cadence of the words in the second verse, “Which wert, and art, and evermore shall be.” There’s a poetic quality to that description of God that has stood the test of time. Granted we probably have developed a more sophisticated way to talk about God, one that takes into consideration the absolute impossibility of defining the great “I AM.” But there’s nothing that beats the simplicity of John’s description. There never was a time when God was not and there will never be a time when God will not be. God is the beginning and the end, or as John puts it, the Alpha and the Omega. Somehow this is a comfort in the midst of the variables we face in our own quite finite existence. The way things are going some days we even question whether the earth can survive our malfeasance. We wonder what life will be like for our grandchildren–some have concluded that surely the end is near. From a human point of view things are teetering on the edge of catastrophe. But people of faith know that all things have their foundation in God, and no matter how badly we break things, goodness will always triumph. 

Thought for the Day: What worries me most about the future?

Revelation 1:4-5a

“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” vss. 4b-5a

John begins his letter to the seven churches with a greeting of grace and peace from the Eternal God and from Jesus Christ. His threefold description of God is familiar and reflects a common belief that God transcends time: God is, was, and shall be forevermore. The phrases he uses to describe Jesus Christ appear to be a precreedal declaration: Jesus faithfully proclaimed the truth about God, was raised from the dead, and now reigns over all the earth. John uses this description to set the stage for the apocalyptic vision which makes up the bulk of the book of Revelation. Believers through the centuries have had varying reactions to these writings. Some, particularly in the last century, have pored over the symbols and have claimed that they are predictions of actual events. A few have made fortunes writing books and making movies. In reality the writing arises out of John’s own time and place and when properly interpreted gives a picture of what life was like for Christians in the first and second centuries. Above all, John wanted his readers to be hopeful. No matter how arrogant or cruel national rulers could be,  God would give them life–Jesus Christ was their forever source of salvation.

Thought for the Day: How do I use the book of Revelation?