Luke 21:25-33

“People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” vs. 26

During the last month or so it’s not been unusual for people to express concern about what is coming next for our world. Some would even say that we’re living in apocalyptic times. Nations are streamlining their supplies of atomic weapons and developing even more sophisticated means of delivering them. Incredible advances have been made in AI and even those involved in its development are expressing concerns about what could happen if advancements continue without controls. And even as climate scientists are raising alarms about the disasters that could occur if the temperatures continue to rise, folks in our congress don’t even act concerned. It seems that the potential of massive profits is driving most of our decisions. And most of us are powerless to do anything but wait to see what is going to happen. Are the doomsayers right? Or is the future bright for planet Earth? As Luke recounted the words of Jesus regarding an uncertain future, he urged his readers to hang on to hope. “The kingdom of God is near,” he said, and sought to bring them comfort. Perhaps it would be well for us to hang on to those words and hold them close as we move into the season of Advent. We don’t know what is going to happen! But as we wait and watch, there’s nothing to keep us from hoping.

Thought for the Day: What does Advent mean to me?

1 Thessalonians 3:5-13

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.” vs. 12

Black Friday is not a religious or a national holiday, yet most people, at least those not in retail businesses, have it off. We’ve got another day to spend with family members or have one of the best leftover meals ever. We might even spend part of today checking for internet bargains as we start working on our Christmas shopping lists. Now there’s nothing wrong with this. Prudent folks are always looking for bargains, and it gives joy to find a good buy. But an even better use of the day might be to meditate a bit on Paul’s wish for the Thessalonians. He’s writing to them after a long absence and giving thanks for their continued faithfulness to the gospel. He tells them that his strongest desire is that the Lord would make them increase and abound in love, not only for each other, but for all. We can disagree with a lot of things in Paul’s writings, but there’s no doubt that his teachings were steeped in love. He hadn’t met Jesus face to face, and never heard him speak, but by the power of the Spirit he knew that Jesus was all about love. And if any of us have any desire at all to walk in the way of Jesus, the very first step is to love God and neighbor. It’s a way to even make Black Friday holy!

Thought for the Day: What’s on my Black Friday shopping list?

Matthew 6:30-33

“But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” vs. 33

While the term “Black Friday” has been around for some time, occasionally with negative connotations, it swept into the nation’s consciousness with a vengeance during the 1980’s. Retailers have discovered that they can sell loads of merchandise by offering heavily discounted items in stores and on-line. While in the beginning the sales were offered only on the Friday after Thanksgiving, we can now get the deals over the entire 4 day holiday weekend. Black Friday has truly become a shopping frenzy! In some families the traditional Thanksgiving meal has lost its leisurely component as gluttony is threatened by greed in a full-scale battle of mortal sins. And Jesus tells us that all that hungering and thirsting is pointless for those who yearn to be his followers. He says that it’s the Gentiles who get all hot and bothered about stuffing their bellies and getting more stuff. Disciples, on the other hand, will strive first for the righteousness of the peaceable kingdom. They know that God will see that we get our daily bread, the things we need for daily living, and we don’t need to spend one second obsessing about the latest bargains and deals. And today’s a great day to settle back and give God thanks for all the stuff we already have!

Thought for the Day: How have I been affected by Black Friday?

Matthew 6:25-29

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” vs. 25

When Thanksgiving was established as a holiday in our country, it was intended to be an end of the year celebration during which participants could give thanks to God for the bounty of the harvest. Many times it was also a time for remembrance of the Pilgrims and the difficult time they had even surviving that first year in the Plymouth colony. Such times of thanksgiving are not unusual for the people of God. Jews and Christians alike have recognized that all good things come from our Creator and that we have a duty to regularly offer praise and thanks for all that has been given to us. Sadly, like many of our well-intentioned holidays, Thanksgiving has lost some of its original purpose. Nowadays we’re not so much interested in giving thanks as we are in gorging! We seem to have an obsession with food and seeing how much we can eat of turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, and all the fixings, including apple pie! In some families there might not even be a time for prayer, which would really be sad, since it’s the perfect opportunity to take at least a moment for family members to reflect on the goodness of God and the bounty of creation. And as Jesus said, life is certainly more than food!

Thought for the Day: For what will I be giving thanks tomorrow?

Psalm 25:1-10

“Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.” vs. 5

The psalmist didn’t have the convenience of artificial intelligence or social media, so when he wanted to know the truth he turned to the Lord. The question is, if we wanted to do the same thing, where would we go and what would we do? Would we pore over scripture? Since many of us have been taught to regard the bible as God’s word, that might appear to be our best option. But when we try that, we’re overwhelmed by all the different seemingly contradictory guidance. The bible has been used by people to support every kind of nonsense imaginable. There has to be a better way–and there is! The gospel of John teaches us that the Word of God, the Truth of God, became flesh in the person of Jesus. That means that his words and actions, his life, is the very best guide to the Way of the Lord. So if we’re interested in the truth of God, and we really do want direction for our lives, we can do no better than to turn to the clear message of Jesus. And what does that life look like? He summed it up clearly, “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Everything Jesus said and did is tied to that basic teaching. There is no better guide to life than the way of unconditional love and sacrificial service!

Thought for the Day: Why did I decide to walk in the way of Jesus?

Jeremiah 33:14-16

“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” vs. 15

These days we have heard a lot of talk about the future of our country. Some are saying that as soon as the new cabinet is chosen and new people are in charge, justice will be executed and righteousness will fill the land. On the surface that sounds like what Jeremiah had in mind for Israel. Of course there’s one big difference. Jeremiah believed that the Lord would be the one in control, and in our country we’re putting our hope in politicians. You’d think we’d be smarter than that. Never in the history of any country has a new administration been responsible for the establishment of justice or the triumph of righteousness. It makes no difference what political party we’re talking about. And yet we keep hoping! We keep thinking there will be some new messiah who will solve all our problems and offer a path to a glorious future. And the truth is that this messiah has already come and his peaceable kingdom has already been established! All around the world faith communities are continuing his mission of love and mercy. The poor and the needy are being taken care of. The hungry are being fed. And sadly, politicians generally aren’t the ones doing his work. Thank God for the people of faith who are making a difference for good in our broken world.

Thought for the Day: Why do people put such trust in politicians?

John 18:37

“Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’” vs. 37

John’s testimony about Jesus is consistent from the beginning to the end of his gospel. Jesus, the incarnate word of God, was full of grace and truth! Anyone who wished to know the truth would continue in his word. When Jesus told this to Pilate however, he got a familiar response. As John puts it, “Pilate replied, ‘What is truth?’” and that was the end of the conversation. Like Pilate we struggle with truth. We live in a world in which truth has been abused, distorted, devalued, and almost rendered obsolete. Liars have taken possession of it and use it to label whatever they say. We have become so jaundiced about truth that we wonder if there is anything left to believe in! Yet Jesus is insistent. “I am the truth,” he says, and bids us to walk in his way. And what is that truth? We know it has nothing to do with doctrines, dogmas, or even confessions of faith. Those religiously contrived statements, all sounding so good and pious, have instead been used to obscure the truth that is Jesus. The truth is none other than Jesus himself, the incarnation of God’s unconditional love and never-ending mercy. And in loving others, especially our enemies, that truth becomes incarnate in us!

Thought for the Day: When did I become a truth-teller?

John 18:33-36

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’” vs. 36

John’s gospel spells the truth out so clearly it’s hard to imagine that anyone could misunderstand. Jesus’ kingdom is not from this world! Yet even followers of Jesus found it impossible to resist when the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. That’s the point at which armies began marching into battle under the banner of Jesus Christ, and we still haven’t stopped. Even today wherever wars are waged Christians routinely write bible verses on bombs and priests offer blessings to ensure that these weapons will rain death and destruction on enemies, even if they’re other Christians. Christian nationalism began with Constantine and it still hasn’t stopped flexing its unholy muscles. Its promises are rooted in the false premise that the kingdom of God can be established by the rule of law and the posting of commandments. “If only Christians ran the government,” they say. “Immorality could be rooted out and purity restored.” It’s a tempting thought, but it’s not even close to the kingdom in which Jesus is the ruler. In that peaceable kingdom unconditional love is the currency and the only weapon is sacrificial service. And the best news yet! That kingdom is already here, and in it Christ will reign forever.

Thought for the Day: What can the government do to eliminate immorality?

Psalm 93

“The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.” vss. 1-2

This psalm is known as an enthronement psalm, a hymn that was sung as part of the temple worship at one of the fall festivals to give glory to God as the Sovereign King. We know from scripture that the Jews followed an annual calendar that included several important religious festivals like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Each holiday gave opportunity for different forms of worship and ritual, and was an important part of each believer’s annual spiritual journey. As the Church began to develop after the first century it wasn’t long before a new liturgical calendar was established, one that continues to shape worship practices in our faith communities. This week we are celebrating the last of the holy days for this liturgical year, one known as Christ the King Sunday. It’s another of the ways in which we acknowledge our connections to our ancient Hebrew ancestors in the faith. Like them we believe in the Eternal Rule of the Divine Presence. More particularly we focus our attention on the Kingdom of God as proclaimed by our Lord Jesus. We see signs of that divine rule each day and trust that one day in Christ all things will be made new.

Thought for the Day: What’s my favorite part of the liturgical year?

Revelation 1:7-8

“‘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

This amazing verse sums up everything that we need to know about the Divine Presence. God is the A and the Z of all existence, the beginning and the end. The old familiar hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” put it well, “…which wert, and art, and evermore shall be.” Those old words have a rhythmic quality, a mysterious trip through the past, present, and future of the verb “to be,” probably the truest way we have of describing the Indescribable. This is one of the hardest things for us to “get” about God. We love to have an image that we can conjure up in our prayers, some concrete manifestation with substance and body. But that’s not God! The ancient Hebrews knew that and resisted any form of idolatry, referring to God as the great “I AM,” the Ground of All Being. That difficulty in picturing God is one of the reasons so many of us are drawn to Jesus. Because he is God Incarnate, we often address our prayers to him, and speak of our endings as our being drawn into his loving arms. It’s in Jesus that we get the best sense of God’s unconditional and sacrificial love–and it’s good to know that that love has been there in our beginning and will be there as we draw our final breath. God is the Alpha and the Omega!

Thought for the Day: What’s my favorite old hymn?