Deuteronomy 4:6-9

“And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?” vs. 8

Even though the world is good, brokenness has also been a part of the human experience from the beginning. One of the first great spiritual insights of our faith ancestors was that a system of laws and commandments would make it possible for them and their children to bring healing to their broken world. By obeying the rules families could actually experience the goodness of God and have harmony in their relationships.  It was a good plan–and we can read the final edition in the Hebrew scriptures, where some have come to know it as the Deuteronomic Code. As the centuries passed and the kingdom of Israel faded into oblivion, this Code remained as a source of inspiration and pride to the Jewish people. It made them distinctive among the nations and was the one thing their enemies could not take away. But even though the law was good, and a key to their happiness, it too was broken, and occasionally its brokenness could be oppressive. This was something that Jesus understood and he regularly showed people that the law could not be their ruler with teachings like “the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.”  Because the religious leaders had come to think of the law in such rigid terms, in order to protect it, they ultimately decided that if Jesus did not change his ways, he would need to die.

Thought for the Day: When does the law become a burden?

Deuteronomy 4:1-2

“So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.” vs. 1

As the community of our faith ancestors began to emerge from the tangle of tribes occupying the deserts of the Middle East, their leaders began to compile a legal code that would govern their behaviors and ensure their legacy. The laws arose out of their tribal experiences and reflect the rules and behaviors necessary for their survival as a community of faith. Some of the codes were borrowed from other cultures and traditions and others were peculiar to the developing faith of the Hebrew people. The scribes who finally wrote them down and compiled them in what we know as the Deuteronomic Code considered them to have been given by the Lord and came to regard them as a part of their holy scripture. While some of those statutes and ordinances seem strange to our ears, ultimately this law came to be the identifying mark of the Jewish people. It was the core of their faith. Rabbis taught that obedience to the commandments would bring blessings to the community, and disobedience would bring down God’s judgment. As the years passed and the people occupied the land we know as Israel, the kings proved to be ineffective. But the law was the strength of the nation, and because of the law, Judaism survived and remains a force in the world today.

Thought for the Day: How does law build a lasting community?

John 6:63-69

“Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’” vss. 63-69

In the end, when we’ve considered all the options and checked out all the alternatives, there are many who come to the same conclusion as Simon Peter. There just isn’t anything out there that can come close to offering anything better than the gospel of grace that is enmeshed in the words of Jesus Christ. Granted, through the centuries believers have managed to attach every manner of difficult doctrines to his simple words, but when we sift through to the core we rediscover the beautiful, inclusive love that he lived and taught. Of course faith in Jesus generally doesn’t come at first sight. As John indicates here, there is a process involved. It’s as we hang around Jesus for a time that we come to believe and to adopt him as the life-giving center of our lives. Now it isn’t that some of the truths and values that we find in Jesus cannot be found in other religions or faith traditions. Indeed, because his teachings are universal, we discover that many of the things we believe are a part of other belief systems too. But Jesus is familiar, and there’s an element of comfort in attaching ourselves to him, and so we do. So it’s in him that we have discovered the words of eternal life!

Thought for the Day: What are some core teachings of all great religions?

John 6:56-62

“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’” vs. 60

In John’s gospel Jesus frequently says things that his disciple found difficult to accept. When he spoke in figurative terms they almost always took him literally, and occasionally it seems as though he’s deliberately trying to be obscure. His lengthy teaching regarding himself as the Bread of Life is one of those times, and finally it seems, many of his disciples gave up. Sometimes people in our age will express their regret at not having been able to hear Jesus speak in person. But chances are we wouldn’t have done any better than those who were there. There’s just something tough about really “getting” Jesus. Often we can’t even understand what our pastors are talking about in their sermons, even when they dumb it down for us. We all tend to be such literalists, and Jesus was all about mystery and the unseen ways God brings life to our spirits. Sometimes the best we can do is open up our hearts and soak in the word, trusting that the Spirit will use the words to enrich and restore us. The point is not in understanding the gospel, that’s far too cerebral. But it is as we receive the Word that it becomes enfleshed in us, and we become one with Christ. 

Thought for the Day: How has the Word changed me?

Ephesians 6:14-20

“Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.” vss. 19-20

Paul coveted the prayers of the Ephesians; it was a source of great comfort for him to know that he wasn’t alone, and that his name was on their lips day and night. Evidently, in spite of his imprisonment, he was still having opportunities to proclaim the word, and he asked for boldness in making known the mystery of the gospel. It’s a reminder that in every circumstance we have chances to share our faith, and sometimes all that we lack is boldness. Proclamation is never easy, and with something so mysterious as the gospel, we need fitting words, ones that will unlock the mystery and make plain the inclusive love that we have come to know so well. Certainly it helps to know that people are praying for us! And if we happen to be pastors or preachers, what a blessing to know that we are in the prayers of those we serve. That’s undoubtedly the unseen strength of any community of faith. We come together as individuals but the call is far too big for any one of us. But when we are seriously joined together in prayer for one another and for our leaders we are a formidable force.

Thought for the Day: How do people’s prayers help me?

Ephesians 6:10-13

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” vss. 10-11

Paul’s language in this closing section of Ephesians is familiar to people of faith and is consistent with much of what we find in scripture. It’s a kind of militaristic refrain and imagines us as soldiers of the cross, standing firm against the demonic forces of the universe who battle us daily on our journey with Jesus. The problem with this dualistic picture is that it breeds divisiveness. We already have a tendency to be suspicious of others and to imagine that we have enemies constantly assailing us. So when we’re asked to join the battle against the devil, we unfortunately don’t have much difficulty in figuring out who or what we’re supposed to be fighting against. We absolutely love to demonize those who don’t look like us, those who don’t have the same values, and those who don’t think like us! And it doesn’t get any easier in the middle of a political campaign. As we listen to the rhetoric of the interminable speeches, it’s easy to begin believing that our side is fighting for eternal virtues and values, while our opponents are pushing Satan’s agenda. Of course humans have always done this sort of thing–demonizing the enemy is nothing new. BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT JESUS WAS ABOUT!!! He said, “Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.” 

Thought for the Day: Why is dualism so attractive to the human spirit?

Psalm 34:15-22

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” vss. 17-18

Some believers have difficulty with verses like this. The words just don’t resonate with their experience. We have all known exceptionally good people, we might even categorize them as righteous, who have cried to the Lord for help in their troubles, and who have not been rescued. At the end of their prayers, whatever ugliness has been plaguing them is still present! When that happens, faith is tested and questions abound. And then there are those who have had the opposite experience. They’ve cried out to God and immediately their prayer has been answered–which is of course a good thing. The problem is that their resulting testimony tends to be an indictment of those who feel as though they’ve been “ghosted” by God, and may cause such persons to then assume that they’re not among the righteous. What we often fail to see is that the psalmist does offer consolation to those who feel neglected! He says that the Lord is close to those who have been crushed in spirit. And it’s here that we find an amazing truth! Even in our brokenheartedness God is near–and when we’re on our last legs, God is present. And if we listen closely, in those moments we will hear that we are loved!

Thought for the Day: When have I felt that God has “ghosted” me?

Joshua 24:15-18

“Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” vs. 15

It was crunch time for the Israelites. They were in the Promised Land and now Joshua wanted to know who they intended to serve. There hadn’t been many options in the barren waste of the wilderness, but now they were living in a land where there were a variety of gods to choose among. And Joshua puts them on the spot. And like any good leader he lets them know exactly where he stood. They could do as they wished, but he and his household would be serving the Lord. That’s how faith questions get settled in most of our families. While faith can’t be forced upon anyone, leaders do make choices. The decisions they make about matters of faith will determine the worship practices of the family. And those are not insignificant choices. Parents have an enormous influence on what their children come to believe about God and the Church. When their faith is sincere and disciplined, when prayer and worship are a regular part of family life, children are much more likely to remain connected to Jesus. Where hypocrisy reigns children will decide quickly that there are better ways to spend Sunday mornings, and they disappear from church in a hurry.

Thought for the Day: What faith leaders did I experience in my family?

Joshua 24:1-2a, 14

“Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” vs. 14

Most people have a curiosity about their ancestors. Some spend years in genealogical research to figure out their family tree. Others send in saliva samples to testing companies like 23andme or Ancestry to find out what an analysis of their DNA can tell them about their heritage. While these results are purely physiological it would also be enlightening to get information about our faith ancestry. Like the Hebrews all of us have ancestors who likely worshiped idols. And somewhere along the line some leader, perhaps someone like Joshua, called them out of idolatry into the worship of a mysterious invisible God, that we have come to know as the Lord. And though there have likely been hiccups along the way, for the most part, we’ve continued to practice the faith of our fathers and mothers. But for every generation there comes a time for decision making. Will we continue to walk the path trod by those faith ancestors or will we wander off on our own to seek gods of our own making, ones that will be more satisfying? Often there’s not a conscious choice to walk away from our heritage. It’s more likely that inattention and apathy are the real reasons people wander from faith. And soon we all begin to wonder what the faith of our grandchildren will be!

Thought for the Day: When did my ancestors decide to serve the Lord?

John 6:54-58

“Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” vs. 57

Some of us can remember a time when the celebration of Holy Communion was infrequent in some of our congregations. There was a sense that what really counted was a good sermon, and direction on how believers ought to live in this broken world. And at the same time, in the majority of congregations there was an emphasis on the Mass, and the Eucharist was the main event. Sometimes there was barely time for any kind of a homily. Now it seems there is more of a balance in weekly worship between word and sacrament, and that’s a good thing. Exposition of the scriptures is always important, and we’ve come to understand that the celebration of Holy Communion is the source of life for every believer. Jesus described it well. Mysterious as it may seem, the bread and wine of the sacrament is what connects us to the living and ever-present God. Creation wasn’t just the making of a lot of stuff. It was the source of all life, and it was that life which became incarnate in Jesus through the Holy Spirit, and that same life enlivens our spirits every time we eat and drink. As we have begun to understand what grocery store food is best, our insatiable life-seeking faith drives us back to the Table week after week. 

Thought for the Day: What enlivens my spirit?