Mark 12:41-44

“He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.”  vs. 41

It’s fascinating to read in Mark that while he was in Jerusalem Jesus took time away from his teaching to sit down by the treasury and watch people give. He knew that there is no better way to gauge what is in a person’s heart than to observe their  giving habits. That’s one of the reasons that some pastors give who insist on seeing how much each of their congregants give. It’s very likely the best way to know the state of that person’s spiritual health. Most people resent that kind of external scrutiny of their giving as an invasion of privacy. And it could be that it is. But even if it is, the truth of Jesus’ observation remains. Generous giving is one of the marks of a spiritually healthy person. And Jesus adds one more caveat in his teaching. Holding up the poor widow as a model, he tells his disciples that sacrificial giving is the standard most pleasing to him. We certainly get plenty of opportunities to give–our mailboxes are filled with pleas, especially this time of year. And many will give generous gifts, especially to those causes that are close to their hearts–and perhaps a few will give sacrificially. And for them there will undoubtedly be spiritual benefits.

Thought for the Day: What would sacrificial giving mean for me?

Mark 12:38-40

“As he taught, he said, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!’” vss. 38-39

The scribes of Jesus’ day were teachers of the law and along with the priests pretty much oversaw anything that had to do with the temple. As the authorities in every aspect of daily living they wielded enormous power and were among the most influential men in Jerusalem, and Jesus had contempt for them. He taught his disciples that they were hypocrites and that they were using their power to amass wealth by extracting it from the poor. Jesus probably wouldn’t be surprised to see the same behavior among the wealthy of our time. Many are well-educated and are adept at manipulating complex financial systems in order to benefit themselves. Many have billions of dollars, and use it to leverage even more power, wealth, and authority. And frankly they don’t even care what Jesus might have thought. His ways are not their ways, and Jesus tells us to watch out for them. He seems to have thought that simplicity was the best way to live, and that the call of a disciple is to generously share what they have with the poor and needy. Who knows? Ultimately it may be made clear that Jesus was right, and who knows what might happen then?

Thought for the Day: When did I realize that I had enough?

Hebrews 9:28-29

“But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.” vs. 26b

In this section of Hebrews the writer is taking pains to convince his Jewish readers that in Christ the old sacrificial system has been replaced. This was an important message, particularly since the temple, the place of sacrifice, had been destroyed by the Roman armies. While not all Jews were willing to give up the rituals of their law, many Jewish Christians embraced these new ideas eagerly. Central to the argument was the conviction that in the sacrificial death of Jesus all sin had been removed and forgiven. While we may not find the images of Hebrews compelling, it is good to know that the sin and brokenness of this world have been taken care of. This does not mean that we will never sin again or ever experience brokenness anymore. Indeed most of us can testify that we’ve all fallen into sin. As the epistle writer John says, “If we say we do not sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” But the good news of Hebrews is that grace abounds. There is no sin committed in the past that will define our future in Christ. It’s all been taken care of. Each day we awaken with brand new opportunities to love and serve, and we don’t even have to think of that old bad stuff again!

Thought for the Day: What things from the last few days do I need to let go of today?

Psalm 146:5-9

“Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.” vss. 5, 7

The psalmist was aware of the words of the prophets who trekked all around the countries of Israel and Judah lambasting the rich and speaking on behalf of the poor. In their minds God has a heart for the oppressed and desires that the hungry be fed. Jesus echoed those words and lived them out as he carried out his ministry in Galilee. And since God has no hands but ours, this has become the primary mission of Jesus’ followers throughout all generations. In fact, it’s very likely that in the recent election believers cast their votes for leaders who would join them in working on behalf of the oppressed. And even though there is no such thing as a Christian nation, it is possible for legislative bodies to adopt policies that will address the needs of the growing number of homeless and hungry people in the world. And while we are blessed to live in a country that separates church and state, leaders of faith communities will regularly act as advocates for the poor at meetings of those legislative bodies. If we’re going to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus, it’s one of the most important things we can do. After all, we are the voice of the broken and oppressed.

Thought for the Day: How is my congregation engaged in advocacy? 

Psalm 146:1-4

“I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.” vss. 2-3

Well, the elections are over but not all the results are known. It’s likely that it will be days or weeks before all the lawsuits are over and the true winners have emerged. What’s really sad is that the divisions that have emerged will likely last for years, and it’s hard to know what could bring any kind of reconciliation or bi-partisan work for the common good. It could be that some are singing praises to the Lord today because their preferred candidate won. The psalmist would laugh at such a notion. We should be praising God even if our party got wiped out, because in the long run princes, mortals, and presumably politicians are not worthy of our trust. Anyone who has been watching elections for any time at all will know that there’s a cyclical nature to politics. Yes, it’s necessary to elect leaders, but none of them will even be remembered within a couple generations. But God’s been around forever and will continue to be our strength and source of hope until the end of time. And because that’s the truth, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who we should be praising today! As the hymn puts it, “O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.”

Thought for the Day: How am I going to behave today?

1 Kings 17:11-16

“Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.’” vs. 13

Today is Election Day and there are many who are terrified about what the results might be. Of course that’s no accident! Some candidates have gone out of their way to terrify us with horrendous anecdotes about what will happen if their opponent wins. They want us to believe that only they can save us from future disaster. No wonder anxiety is filling our hearts! Of course we’re not the first people to be fearful. The widow of Elijah’s day was at the end of her resources–the drought was intense and she had only enough for one more meal–and then she and her son would lie down and die. Elijah tells her not to be afraid. She should just go on living as usual–her future was in good hands. And he was right! God did not abandon her. That’s not bad advice! There is no need to be afraid. We can move through this day as planned. If we haven’t already voted we can go to the polls, and then go home and wait. And when the results are eventually known, some will rejoice and others will be deeply disappointed. And no matter what, God will not abandon us. Life will go on, and we can get on with our ministry of healing and restoration.

Thought for the Day: Why am I so anxious today?

1 Kings 17:8-12

“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.’” vss. 8-9

Elijah lived in Israel during the time of King Ahab, and had announced that, because of Israel’s great idolatry, there would be a three year drought. Because the king saw him, not as a prophet, but as an enemy, Elijah had to spend the period of the drought on the run. Eventually he is directed by the Spirit to go to a small remote town and stay with a widow who will feed him. As we read this story we can’t help but think of the millions of people in the world today who have become refugees because of drought, war, and famine. It’s an enormous problem and tragically those seeking refuge have discovered that there are few places where they will be welcomed. Thousands have died on their journeys, and tens of thousands live in camps where most are destined to spend their lives in crowded and disease-ridden conditions. Those who do find their ways to wealthy nations find themselves ostracized and feared. Many, instead of being welcomed, are rounded up and sent back where they came from. Unlike the poor widow who gave all she had to help Elijah, the wealthy in today’s world hoard their goods and turn the poor away. Thank God for those people with a heart for the hungry and wandering! They are the hope of the world!

Thought for the Day: Why are we afraid of immigrants?

John 11:38-44

“Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.’” vs. 39

Ever the pragmatist Martha objected when Jesus ordered the stone to be rolled away. She knew how long Lazarus had been dead, and she knew that his body would have begun to decompose. The stench would have been overwhelming. That’s how it was with death and Martha was willing to live with the customs and the rituals of her faith. She didn’t have a clue about what Jesus had in mind. We too have our customs and rituals for dealing with death, and that’s a good thing! It’s important to know what to do when our loved ones die, and the moment of their death is not the time to be wondering what to do. For people of faith that ritual will most often include an invocation of God’s presence and at the end of the service our loved one will be released into the arms of Jesus. Like Martha we don’t know what that will involve, but based on Martha’s experience we believe that it will include the gift of new life. That’s why the Lazarus story is in our scripture–we love the picture it gives of moving from death to life, and even though it’s more of a resuscitation than a resurrection, it’s an affirmation of Paul’s contention that nothing in all creation, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Thought for the Day: Who am I remembering on this All Saints Sunday?

John 11:32-37

“When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’” vs. 32

Mary’s words should not surprise us. They reflect a desire to assess blame in the face of death or some other calamity. Some of us have done the same thing. When things don’t go our way, the first impulse is to find a reason, and we regularly lash out at the people we think have failed us. This is one factor in the rising costs of medical treatment–liability insurance costs doctors and hospitals an enormous amount of money. And when we can’t find anyone to sue, sometimes, like Mary, we take our complaints to Jesus. We wonder why, when he clearly has promised to answer our prayers, there is absolutely no response when we ask him for help. It’s like he has deliberately ignored our requests. And so, when things go wrong, or loved ones die, he gets blamed. John says that Mary’s accusation triggered deep anguish in Jesus. When he saw her pain he began to weep. Mary wasn’t alone in her suffering. Jesus felt it too, and so it is for us when darkness creeps in and our prayers seem ineffectual. Jesus understands! And while there is no divine intervention of the kind we might prefer, we get something even better. We get the loving arms of Jesus, and in those moments we come close to the loving heart of God!

Thought for the Day: Who do I blame when things go wrong?

Revelation 21: 3-6a

“He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more;mourning and crying and pain will be no more…” vss. 3b-4

Many people wonder about their loved ones when death occurs, and questions abound. We would love to have concrete answers but the best we can do is speculate. Some are comforted by accounts reported by folks who have “died” and come back to life. They like the image of a peaceful ending followed by a journey toward the light, and that is indeed a fine way to think of death. Others prefer the vision put forward by the writer of Revelation, a future filled with the presence of our loving God in which every tear will be wiped away, and there will be no more mourning or crying or pain. It’s wonderful for us to be able to think of life after death in these ways, particularly at a time of the year when we are remembering the saints who have been among us spreading love and kindness, who are now absent from our family gatherings and celebrations. The one common element in all of these pictures of the future is that death never has the last word for us. Believers know, following Paul’s teachings, that there is nothing in all creation, not even death, that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. That’s probably the best news that any of us could possibly receive!

Thought for the Day: What’s my favorite image of life after death?