Psalm 1:1-3

“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;” vs. 1

If we’ve managed to compile a decent track record in the game of life, we will most certainly agree with the words of the psalmist. We only have to be marginally aware of what’s going on in the world to know that blessings abound when we make wise choices. While things do come our way as surprises, the general direction of our path is not determined by picking a card from the Chance deck as in the game of Monopoly. For the most part we do have agency, and the decisions we make do have significance. If we do as the psalmist suggests, and close our ears to the advice of the wicked and avoid the ways of sinners and scoffers, we will greatly increase our chances of finding happiness. While obviously there are no guarantees, there are great advantages to living a god-fearing, values-driven life. And what’s even better is knowing that God continues to love us even when we wander, and is always ready to offer restoration and a new start. And forgiveness is not a placebo! Once we get back on track, we have the same opportunity as others to make life-enhancing choices and discover again that our pasts do not define our futures. 

Thought for the Day: What does my choice-making record look like?

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

“Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’” vss. 24-25

Judas had been one of the disciples and later was commissioned by Jesus as one of the twelve apostles. During Jesus’ ministry these Twelve were sent to towns and villages as missionaries, bringing the good news in the same way as Jesus had been doing. Since the number twelve was significant for the Jews, when Judas betrayed Jesus and later died, the community of believers made it their first order of business to find a replacement. Two of their company met the requirements–they had been disciples from the beginning–but Peter wanted the Lord to make the choice. So they cast lots! There was no interview, no references were sought–essentially they flipped a coin, and Matthias got the Lord’s vote. At that point the ruling circle was again complete and the faith community could go on with its mission. Interestingly, Matthias is never again mentioned in the New Testament, though tradition indicates that he preached in Judea and was stoned to death by the Jews. Later on Paul taught that others too could be called as apostles and given special missionary responsibilities. In fact, any of us who feel a call to proclaim the good news of Christ to others can be thought of as an apostle–and we certainly need more than twelve.

Thought for the Day: What is my special call?

John 15:13-17

“You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.” vs. 16

When we hear that Jesus has chosen us to be his disciples we are not surprised. It’s a familiar part of the gospel story that we’ve grown up with. We know that we have been called to proclaim the good news to all the world. It’s who we are, we are the chosen people! But in practice our thinking is often twisted, and many actually seem to believe that they have chosen Jesus. Some can even point to the hour and the minute when they gave themselves up to the Lord. It’s like we say, “I’m pleased to tell you Jesus that after considering a multitude of alternatives, I have decided to follow in your footsteps.” Included in that process will be a number of choices, first, a denomination, and then, after shopping around for a bit, we choose a congregation. What often gets lost for us in all of that is a sense of call. And that isn’t how Jesus operates. In truth, he chooses us, equips us with every good gift, and then appoints us to produce enduring fruit. And that makes all the difference in the world. And while we may not like this–we’d rather be in charge of our destiny–those who humbly acknowledge their call, will find great joy in blooming where they are planted. 

Thought for the Day: When did Jesus choose me?

John 15:9-12

“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” vs. 11

These words are said in the context of Jesus’ last conversation with the disciples and indicate that he was well-pleased with them, and that their presence brought him joy. We know that feeling, that sense of satisfaction that a parent can have in looking around a festival table at the gathered faces of children and grandchildren. It’s a joy that bursts from the heart, and that is expressed with words of appreciation and love. Jesus tells his disciples that he wants that same joy to abide in their hearts, and that it would be enough for them, so that they would never have to yearn for anything more. As the centuries have passed joy has continued to be experienced among the followers of Jesus, and it’s often unrelated to external circumstances. It’s not the same as happiness, and we’re not talking about the fleeting joy that comes our way from time to time, the rejoicing that might come from a hole-in-one, or an unexpected Christmas gift. In fact, the joy that comes from the presence of Jesus can even be felt in times of sadness and suffering. We feel it in the surprise of exuberance in the most random situations, and the delight that pops into our minds in the course of daily living. What a blessing it is when people of joy populate our circle of friends! They are truly a gift from God!

Thought for the Day: What’s the difference between joy and happiness?

1 John 5:4-6

“for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.” vs. 4

We’ve gotten a good look at the ways of the world in recent years, and it’s not been a pretty sight! The environment is taking a beating, tensions between nations explode into wars, thousands are being killed, starvation and hunger are rampant and millions of refugees are on the move. In that scenario John’s optimism seems far-fetched. He believed that faith in Jesus Christ and the power of love would change everything, that the ways of the world would be overcome. What’s really bizarre is that faith has spread all across the globe and there are believers in every land, yet it doesn’t seem to have made a bit of difference. Christians have proven to be even more blood-thirsty and cruel than the most ungodly pagans. People of faith have adopted the ways of the world!!! But not everywhere! Pockets of resistance are present in the most unlikely places and some people have made sacrificial love the foundation of their lives. They live the Sermon on the Mount, pray for their enemies, and generously reach out to the broken and deprived. Sadly they are few in number–Christian faith has become generic and disconnected from Jesus–but they do make a difference. And as Jesus once said, “A little yeast can leaven the whole loaf.”

Thought for the Day: What is generic Christian faith?

1 John 5:1-3

“For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome…” vs. 3

It’s really not that difficult to be a follower of Jesus! All that is necessary is that we keep God’s commandments! And what are God’s commandments? Well, John’s not talking about the Ten Commandments that we learn in Sunday School or the 613 commandments that we can dig up out of the Hebrew Scriptures. He’s talking about the Jesus commandments, the ones that are laid out in the gospel of John. And to put it very briefly, he has in mind faith and love. We’re pretty familiar with the love commandment, the one Jesus laid on his disciples after the Passover meal, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.” Admittedly, that’s not always so easy to do, but at least we usually give it an honest effort. But faith is the commandment that gets us into the community of lovers–it’s the first step in following Jesus. Generally we don’t think of it as a commandment–it seems like more of an invitation–but it is something we are called on to do. Like the love commandment it comes from the gospel of John where the writer says plainly that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God will receive eternal life. And that’s why this writer says the commandments are not burdensome–they should be as natural as breathing for those who love God.

Thought for the Day: Which is more difficult: believing or loving?

Psalm 98:5-9

“Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.” vss. 5-6

We know that temple rituals involved the offering of sacrifices on the altar, but the Levites who ran the temple organization were also responsible for music making and the chanting of psalms. They would have included professional musicians–singers and instrumentalists who regularly would have made a joyful noise before the Lord. It’s likely that some also had responsibility for composing the psalms. Those traditions were continued by the followers of Jesus, and music quickly became a central part of worship life in the early faith communities, and that’s still true in contemporary congregations. There’s no better way to offer praise and thanksgiving to God than through the songs of joy that we hear regularly in our weekly worship. And while it’s nice to have well-practiced choirs and gifted singers and instrumentalists, it’s particularly uplifting when the entire congregation joins in the melodies. In those moments the singing is truly an act of worship by the entire body and not just a performance by a gifted few. There is no better feeling than to joyfully join the singing and not worry about being on key. As this psalm puts it clearly, what pleases God more than anything is a joyful noise, when everyone joins the choir.

Thought for the Day: How does singing enhance my worship?

Psalm 98:1-4

“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.” vs. 1

We don’t know what has occasioned the psalmist’s great hymn of praise. It could have been that the king had won a battle and the Lord was being given credit for the victory. Or, as some have suggested, perhaps the psalmist is celebrating the return of the Jews from exile and the rebuilding of the temple. If that’s the case there would have been no battle and no victory for Israel. The return was occasioned purely by the triumph of the Persian king Cyrus over the Babylonians, and his gracious decision to let the captives return to Judea. If this is the reason for the psalmist’s joy then Israel’s greatest triumph was purely an act of grace, and owed nothing to its exploits on the battlefield. It was a gift of God and for that reason the people were encouraged to sing a new song. How strange it is then, in later centuries, as Christianity expanded, Christians began to assert political control in countries and use armies to defend and expand borders. We’ve dropped bombs on fellow Christians and killed millions of them on the battlefield, and when victory has been achieved we’ve given the credit to God. Somewhere we’ve missed the point! Yes, we are to sing to the Lord a new song–God has indeed done marvelous things. But we worship the Prince of Peace, and not a God of War.

Thought for the Day: How does the Lord win victories?

Acts 10:44-48

“Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’” vss. 46c-47

It must have been freeing to be a leader in the apostolic community of the first century. Within the space of a few hours Peter broke the long-established law about associations with Gentiles, and then made a huge decision about who was worthy to be baptized. It appears that he was simply flying by the seat of his pants, though he would have said he was being guided by the Holy Spirit. In reading this we can’t help but marvel at the contrast with the way decisions are made by church leaders in our time. Whenever an idea or change is proposed that is different from the current practice, the most frequent response is, “Well, we’ve never done it that way before.” And when the proposal is not dropped but pursued, it’s the signal for what may be decades of committee meetings, scholarly papers, and ultimately a decision of the governing assembly. For some reason religious changes are heartily resisted by those affected. But sometimes we do find faith communities that are open to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Leaders of such congregations, when presented with an idea that could mean change, will often say, “That’s an interesting proposal. Let’s try it and see what happens!” While there are risks in such an atmosphere, it’s also a place where the Holy Spirit is alive and well.

Thought for the Day: What provokes change in my congregation?

John 15:4-8

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” vss. 7-8

Jesus used the metaphor of the grapevine to describe the loving relationship that he had with his disciples. The connection of the branches to the vine is intimate and fruitful, a mutually beneficial relationship that can have enormous benefit for believers. Unfortunately some have interpreted these words as giving them a blank check for all the goodies of life. They believe that if they ask Jesus for anything, he will most certainly give them whatever they wish, thereby ensuring a steady flow of health and wealth into their lives. A brief look at the context of this saying should disabuse us of such an idea. Jesus makes it plain that he’s talking about the production of fruit in a believer’s life–it’s what flows out of us and into the lives of others that brings glory to God. When we ask for the gifts that will enable us to become more fruitful, Jesus will hear our prayers and give us what we need. Of course there will be blessings for disciples too. Leading a generous and giving style of life will always bring joy and even pleasure. These are the by-products of our connection to Jesus, and they’re always a reason to praise and give thanks to God.

Thought for the Day: What happens when you ask for whatever you wish?