Mark 11:1-11

“Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.” vss. 7-8

Sometimes on what used to be called Palm Sunday, congregations would gather first outside the church, palm fronds would be distributed, and everyone would process into the sanctuary, waving the branches and singing. Very occasionally an enterprising pastor would lead the whole group down the street or around the parking lot while riding on a donkey that had been hired for the day. It’s hard to imagine such an elaborate event being done with much dignity! And yet that’s what Jesus chose to do as the whole group of pilgrims from Galilee entered Jerusalem. His feet must have been almost dragging on the ground as he rode the little colt! And that was his point! This triumphant entry was dripping with humility! This king was unlike all other kings, and certainly different from the victorious ruler that Israel had been expecting. Jesus had come to serve and not to be served, and he had come to love sacrificially until his last breath was gone. Today is a time to remember the humility of our Lord, and perhaps yearn for even a hint of such humility in those who love to call themselves our leaders. Yes, it’s hard to be humble, but that’s the way of Jesus, and if we really are his disciples, it’s a virtue to be imitated.

Thought for the Day: What is true humility?

John 12:27-33

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” vs. 27

In John’s gospel the coming of the Greeks is a signal to Jesus that the end of his mission is near, and he knows that this will mean his crucifixion. While it may seem that this is all part of the plan and that all things are going as he expected, we should not imagine that this was easy for Jesus. It was a troubling time, and he knew that it would be protracted, difficult, and painful. From his human perspective he undoubtedly wished that there were some way that he could get out of it, that perhaps God had an alternate plan, and he could avoid the agony that was to come. But of course there was no other way–and he had no option but to finish his mission. Sometimes that’s just the way it is, and even though we know what is coming, there’s no way to avoid the inevitable. Many have such feelings as they advance in age and begin to see signs that there will be both physical and mental decline in the years to come. That’s a hard place to be in, and even though we’ve watched others begin to decline, it’s painful to realize that we’re heading down the same path. Somehow it feels good to know that this is all part of the plan, and when our mission is finished, Jesus will be there waiting!

Thought for the Day: How will I feel when decline begins?

John 12:20-26

“Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’” vs. 23

We might like to know about the Greeks who sought out Philip and said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” but the gospel writer doesn’t tell us a thing. John had a larger purpose in mentioning them. For him the coming of the Greeks was a signal to Jesus that the hour of his death was at hand. Very soon he would die and his work would be over and he’d be able to say, “It is finished,” and the seed of his greater mission would have been planted. No longer would his influence be limited to the Jews. Out of his death would come explosive good news that would transform the lives, not only of Greeks, but of every person under the sun. We now see the fruits of that mission. The good news of Jesus Christ has spread all over the world and is being proclaimed in hundreds of languages. But even in these times and places where there is a church on every corner, people are still searching. They’re saying to us and to anyone who will listen, “We want to see Jesus!” So where will we take them? Will they need to see a pastor? Or could it be that they will be able to see Jesus in our words and deeds? Jesus showed them sacrificial love. What will we share? It’s a hard question, but for many the answer will be a matter of life or death.

Thought for the Day: Do people see Jesus in me?

Hebrews 5:5-10

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” vs. 7

Since the writer of Hebrews evidently had an audience for his take on the relationship of Jesus to the temple, his letter eventually ended up in our scripture, where it has produced consistent head-scratching from those trying to understand it. Still, even reluctant readers occasionally stumble across gems. Here Jesus is described as having offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, which is exactly what we do on our worst days. And somehow it’s a comfort to know that since Jesus has experienced what we do, he understands what it’s like to feel at a distance from God. It’s important to note too, that Jesus didn’t get what he was asking for–he wasn’t saved from death! Sometimes we get the screwy notion that Jesus was okay with all the suffering that he endured. And the truth is that he wasn’t! He didn’t like bodily or spiritual pain anymore than we do, and he cried out for relief. In the end, having endured all that he could, he did what we do. He committed himself into the hands of God, and that reverent submission was his salvation. That knowledge may not be much of a comfort as we struggle through our days of anguish, but it might be just what we need to endure. And that in itself is a blessing!

Thought for the Day: What’s my comfort during days of anguish?

Psalm 51:6-11

“Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.” vss. 11-12

For a couple of generations these verses were regularly sung as a part of liturgical worship in many congregations. We probably didn’t intentionally memorize them, but they became embedded in our brains nonetheless. For many they were a reminder that one of the main reasons we worship is for spiritual renewal. It is both a duty and a joy to regularly bow our hearts before God, acknowledge our sin, and then receive the cleansing assurance of forgiveness. For some it’s been disconcerting to notice that modern liturgies seem to be moving away from weekly confession. Some pastors evidently are feeling that their congregations are put off by reminders of sin and guilt, and that worship should be dominated by joy and praise. While such services can indeed be fun, they fail to deal with our regular need for re-creation. It’s like imagining that brushing our teeth is only an occasional necessity and can be neglected at will. The truth is that our brokenness requires regular attention, and we need frequent assurances of God’s love and forgiveness. The image of God in us can often become blurry and distorted, and prayers for restoration will always be appropriate. And with the renewal, joy and praise will abound!

Thought for the Day: What happens in me during worship? 

Psalm 51:1-5

“Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” vs. 5

We would just as soon ignore verses like this one when we read scripture. It conjures up old teachings about original sin that have been less than helpful as we’ve battled issues of shame and guilt in our lives. It seems to be a contradiction of our innate goodness as a child of God, and more than that, it implies that somehow our sin is related to our sexuality. Sadly, some religious leaders have used this verse to make the essence of the sexual act dirty or perverse. Now it is true that human sexuality is an area where abuse and even violence is experienced by many in our society. The great intimacy of the sexual act makes us vulnerable on multiple levels, and many have a hard time expressing their sexual needs or even describing their sexual orientation. But it doesn’t make it any easier when we go to the bible for proof that our basic feelings of guilt can be traced back to the sexual act that gave us life. Perhaps the psalmist was trying to say that he had always been aware of his basic selfishness, and that even as a child he’d failed to live as God desired. Many of us could agree with that. Those who have had children see stubborn and selfish tendencies at a young age, almost as soon as a child can walk and talk. Sin does show up early in our lives, but sex is not the reason!

Thought for the Day: What did my parents teach me about sex?

Jeremiah 31:33-34

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” vs. 33

Laws have a life of their own. As soon as they are established they begin to be amended and to proliferate. Soon every area of human behavior and enterprise is infected and defined in ways that defy our comprehension. Jeremiah believed that there was another way, that our lives didn’t need to be defined by external rules and regulations. He anticipated a time when God’s law would be imprinted on the hearts of all people and there would be no need for external ordinances to define and control our deeds and actions. When Jesus began his mission we got a sense of what that might look like in the flesh. With law as his servant and not his master he acted as the Spirit guided him, even when it irritated the scribes and Pharisees who were scrutinizing his every move. Under the direction of that same Spirit, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, believers discovered that the law of love had been carved on their hearts, and would spend their lifetimes living by grace, and selflessly serving the broken and the needy. And so it continues! All around,we see disciples loving and caring in Jesus’ name–they don’t carry rulebooks–but because they know whose they are, they know what to do!

Thought for the Day: Am I law guided or Spirit driven?

Jeremiah 31:31-34

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” vs. 31

Covenants were as important to the people of Israel as the constitution is to the United States. They were a mark of identity and each one involved a sign and a promise. The first was with Noah and the rainbow was a sign of God’s commitment to never again destroy the earth with a flood. A second was with Abraham and Sarah and, with circumcision as a sign, was the promise that Israel would be a great nation. Then came Sinai and the Mosaic covenant, based on the Law, which celebrated the marriage of the Lord to the people who had come out of Egypt. It’s the breaking of that covenant that Jeremiah laments on the eve of Israel’s destruction. It’s not that God had abandoned the old promises, not at all; it was totally Israel’s doing. By breaking the Law they had essentially divorced themselves from the Lord. But Jeremiah assures the people that the Lord will now make a new covenant with Israel–their sins would not be allowed to destroy the relationship. Jeremiah’s powerful reassurance of God’s grace became a source of hope for Israel though their years of exile, and in fact paved the way for the forgiving ministry of Jesus. No matter how unfaithful we are, God can be trusted to be faithful–and God’s last word is always one of compassion and mercy.

Thought for the Day: What covenants have been a part of my life?

John 3:18-21

“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” vs. 19

John was no fool! By the time he wrote his gospel the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection had been spreading for at least a couple of generations. There were now believers in every major city in the Roman Empire. But not everyone who received the message of grace believed it, and John believed that he knew why. Even though the light had come into the world, some people loved darkness better than light–it was the best way to keep their evil ways hidden! What John observed is still present among us. Millions of people have received the good news of Jesus with thanksgiving and his light burns brightly among them. But others continue to live in darkness, presumably because it’s more comfortable for them. They sense that to believe in Jesus will mean change, and when the old ways are so comfortable, why would they bother? It’s not that unbelievers are bad people. Not at all! Many of us count them among our family and friends. And because they too have been created in the image of God, they will by nature do good. But living in darkness can be a precarious business–stumbling blocks abound–and it’s so easy to get lost, and often their basic goodness is hidden! When we love the light, our lives are enriched and the world is blessed!

Thought for the Day: What changes when we believe in Jesus?

John 3:14-17

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” vss. 14-15

As John struggled to find a metaphor that would make the cross more palatable to his readers, he remembered an obscure incident from the Hebrew scriptures that was absolutely perfect. During one of the Israelites many rebellions against Moses the Lord had sent poisonous serpents as a punishment. Healing came after Moses crafted a bronze serpent and hung it on a pole for those who were bitten to look at. That story was the perfect metaphor for what had happened on the cross. Jesus was like that bronze serpent. All who believed in him would have eternal life! That’s why in John’s gospel, Jesus’ last words are recorded as being, “It is finished!” The cross was the end of the story, even more so than the resurrection. For John the dying figure on the cross was the salvation of humanity, and whoever believed in him would live forever. That message continues to have traction in the Church and for many the essence of the whole bible is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Those few words have brought healing and comfort to millions through the years, and they continue to touch hearts today.

Thought for the Day: My favorite bible verse!