Jeremiah 11:18-20

“But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed cause.” vs. 20

Jeremiah had become aware of his adversaries’ plans to destroy and kill him, so that his name would be forgotten forever. His earnest prayer is, not only that their plans would be thwarted, but that he might be able to see the Lord’s retribution upon them. We can understand Jeremiah’s desire. Not only do many of us crave retribution against our enemies, but we’d love to also see all the gory details of their comeuppance. It’s a primal urge that is frequently reflected in the scriptures, and many have concluded that this is also the way God operates. That’s also the reason our justice system, even today, is set up to ensure that offenders receive retribution in full for what they have done. But even Jeremiah believed that there was another way to deal with brokenness and that ultimately forgiveness and restoration would provide the healing our spirits yearn for. Certainly that’s what we find in Jesus, who, as he hung dying on the cross, looked down on his killers and asked that they be forgiven. That may not satisfy our thirst for revenge against enemies, but it certainly opens the way to restoration and healing, even for the most broken among us. 

Thought for the Day: When is capital punishment appropriate?

Mark 8:34-38

“He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” vs. 34

Jesus certainly didn’t try to lure people into becoming his disciples by offering them promises of financial gain or material success. Instead he tells them that the way to new life was through self-denial. In order to save their lives they would have to lose them. What’s truly amazing is that many people took him at his word–they did deny themselves and follow in his way. Some even ended up on crosses. Through the centuries countless others have also followed that same path of self-denial. During the 20th century we became familiar with the life and ministry of Mother Theresa. When she left the comfort and security of her convent to go live with the poor in the slums of Calcutta she deliberately took with her only 5 rupees, less than a dollar, and the clothes on her back. She trusted that Jesus, who had called her into this work, would provide all that she needed. Others, not so famous, have done the same. In our time and culture there has been a growing reluctance to engage in any kind of self-denial, and self-indulgence is trending. And the words of Jesus ring in our ears, “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”

Thought for the Day: Why is self-denial so hard?

Mark 8:27-33

“Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” vs. 31

Mark reports in his gospel that when the disciples tell Jesus that they believed he was the messiah, he gave them a glimpse of what was to come. There would be a period of great suffering and rejection and finally he would be killed–and then after three days he would rise again. Of course this was nothing but gibberish in their minds, and Peter, their new leader, actually rebuked him. It was absolutely incomprehensible to them that the long awaited messiah would be rejected and killed, and they had no idea what it meant to rise again! It’s fascinating that what was once unthinkable eventually became a precious truth for countless believers. All of us, at one time or another, experience suffering as a part of life’s journey. And when that suffering comes near, as much as we might hate its presence, there is great comfort in knowing that we are not alone. Jesus has been there before us and knows the pain and anguish. And because we are not alone in our suffering, sharing the Jesus experience actually strengthens our faith. And of course we can’t forget that final promise, the good news that beyond the suffering comes new life with Christ!

Thought for the Day: How has suffering strengthened me?

James 3:6-12

“With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” vss. 9-10

As James continues his discussion of the tongue, he indicates that our use of it for both blessing God and cursing our neighbor is a travesty. And he’s right! And we would be hard-pressed to find a better example than the current election campaign. We’re regularly hearing words of defamation and abuse from nearly everyone with a political ax to grind. And then we pass on those half-truths and fabrications as though they were the gospel truth. We need to make up our minds. The gift of speech is an incredible gift. Why would we even think of using it to pass on gossip and rumors? Just imagine how good life would be if we only used our mouths to build up our neighbors and put the most charitable construction on all they do or say? Some say that would take the “fun” out of life–it seems they get more joy from passing on a spicy story than saying something nice. That may be true for some people, but not for those who have an interest in restoring goodness to our world. We’ve been tearing down long enough! Maybe it’s about time for us to start building up!

Thought for the Day: What juicy stories are the “funnest” to share?

James 3:1-6

“For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.” vs. 2

In a moment of candid reflection our old friend James hints that perhaps even he makes mistakes in the course of living a Christ-centered life. His problem, as with so many of us, seems to have been his mouth, but his own struggle with his tongue doesn’t keep him from taking his readers to task for their own failures in that regard. And that’s pretty much the way it is with all believers. The brokenness of our own lives makes us experts as we regard the lives of others. We know all the tricks, all the ways in which we attempt to cover our mistakes, and we can spot those same foibles in others with no difficulty at all. That’s really not a problem in relationships. In fact it can be helpful to know when someone is struggling with the same things as we are. Where it becomes a problem is when we put on pious faces and imply that we are sin-free. At least James admitted that he too was broken, and that allowed him to write with some measure of integrity as he offered counsel to his congregation. Even though we’re sinners, we crave restoration, we want to be that better version of ourselves. And when we mess up in our relationships, it’s really nice to be able to get things right eventually. 

Thought for the Day: Where is my brokenness most obvious?

Psalm 116:1-9

“The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’” vss. 3-4

It’s hard to believe that 23 years have passed since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. It’s a date that hangs on in our memories as a moment in which our realities were shattered. The unthinkable had occurred! What had happened regularly in other parts of the world had come home to our shores, and in some sense we still haven’t recovered. In the days and weeks following 9/11 places of worship were packed as people gathered for prayer and echoed the psalmist’s words, “O Lord, we pray, save our lives!” But soon the flurry of prayers abated and people returned to their old ways, and so it remained–until the next great disaster or calamity! That seems to be how it works for folks in our world. We pretty much ignore our relationship to God until distress and anguish come to visit, and then we’re spurred into action. Our hearts and minds are turned to prayer and we fill the air with our petitions for healing and restoration. Does it make a difference? It seems that it must, for we keep on doing it. In some mysterious way, in the midst of calamity a divine connection is made, and we are lifted up.

Thought for the Day: How did I react on 9/11?

Isaiah 50:6-9a

“The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame…” vs. 7

The prophet had likely been exposed to a shame-based culture, a society that seeks to regulate behavior by heaping shame and disgrace on any person who doesn’t live up to the cultural norms. Some of us know what that’s like too. For some perverted reason some parents and teachers take delight in using ridicule and shame in addressing the perceived faults of those who live under their authority. A well-placed “shame on you” can wreak havoc on our self-esteem and some people carry the scars for a lifetime. But the prophet knew something that many have forgotten. As a child of God he had intrinsic worth and God was always close at hand with a strong dose of steadfast love and forgiveness. The nearness of God was his comfort and joy and he was convinced that he would never be put to shame. That’s a truth that is worth hanging on to in these times when words are being used as weapons to injure and destroy reputations. Even though the old proverb “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never harm me,” is surely not true, it is true that those who put their confidence in the Lord are protected against every insult our enemies can hurl against us.

Thought for the Day: When have I been put to shame?

Isaiah 50:4-5

“The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.” vs. 5

Not only had Isaiah listened to the call of his Lord to teach the exiled people of Judah, he now continued to listen to the daily word that came to him in the stillness of his meditation. That’s what happens when we take some of the precious time allotted to us in the course of every day to be still and attentive to the Spirit. New teachings come, sometimes through the people around us, and more often as we reflect on the insights being brought to us through the portals of our senses. And always the Voice of the Spirit will encourage us to to move on into the glorious future that awaits for every one of us. As Jesus sat on the hillsides of Galilee, watching as the sun rose over the sea, we can be sure that words like these from Isaiah brought him comfort and direction. The immediate future for him seemed ominous. John the Baptist had been killed. But there was no sign of rebellion in Jesus. No matter what those who opposed him would do he would continue on the Way. This is what he taught his disciples and in his teachings they heard the way to new life, and that’s still how it is for those who take the time to listen to the Spirit and to learn the path of love and restoration.

Thought for the Day: When did stillness become my friend?

Mark 7:31-37

“Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” vs. 36

In Mark’s gospel Jesus is reported to have regularly told the people that he healed to keep the news to themselves. To put it bluntly, he ordered them to tell no one–and in every instance Mark says, “the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” From the beginning readers have speculated about Jesus’ motivation in this matter. Was he really expecting to be able to conduct his healings in secret? Or maybe he wanted to avoid Herod’s attention in the aftermath of John the Baptist’s execution? We don’t really know of course. There’s a mysterious element to Jesus’ ministry that will continue to baffle us. But we do know that he had a concern about timing, and he wanted things to happen at the propitious moment, at what some call “the fullness of time.” What’s interesting is that his orders mean nothing to the people–they weren’t about to keep such incredible news a secret. In a sense things were already out of Jesus’ hands–a spark had been struck and the fire of excitement was going to burn bright. Nothing was going to hold this campaign back–it would continue to its inevitable ending, and as long as Jesus kept loving, nothing would stop it but his death. And even then, the momentum would continue in even more spectacular ways.

Thought for the Day: What’s the momentum of my life right now?

Mark 7:24-30

“He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’” vs. 27

When Jesus began his ministry by announcing that the kingdom of God had come near, it seems that he was initially thinking that this good news was just for the Jews. Accordingly he spent his time teaching in synagogues and visiting Jewish villages. But occasionally, probably to escape the crowds, he wandered into Gentile areas, and in this instance recounted by Mark, came face to face with a Syro-Phoenician woman. She had heard of him and, because she had a demon-possessed daughter, had sought him out as a last resort. Jesus at first wants nothing to do with her–she was a foreigner, and outside the scope of his mission. But the woman ignores his insulting words and uses them to plead her case. Jesus is impressed, recognizes her faith, and heals her little girl. The story reminds us of our own reluctance to practice inclusion, and encourages us to actively reach out to those who are different from ourselves. The us-them division has wreaked havoc with the mission of the Church, both internally and externally, so it’s no wonder our congregations so often end up consisting of people who look pretty much like ourselves. Diversity is difficult, both for the Church and for the culture, and it’s likely to remain a challenge in our ministry for a long time to come!

Thought for the Day: How can people escape their exclusive tendencies?