Jeremiah 31:31-34

“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

The book of Jeremiah is full of laments. The prophet was no fool and he could see that the old covenant that Israel had taken so much pride in just hadn’t worked. They had more laws than anyone could keep track of, and the people had paid little attention. They manipulated the ordinances, added to them, and mostly ignored them. In fact their whole sacrificial system had become corrupt. So Jeremiah lamented the past! But he hadn’t given up! He looked forward to a new covenant,  one with laws that would be written on people’s hearts, and not on tablets of stone. That vision of a new relationship with God is no pipe dream. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ and the presence of God’s Holy Spirit millions of people are living under that new covenant all over the world. United, not by external laws, but by empowering grace, these people have a God connection that is intimate and full of power. We see them everyday, everywhere we go. They have killer smiles, tender hearts, and spend their days pouring out unconditional love and tending to the needs of others with sacrificial service. They know that God is, and that they are God’s people.

Thought for the Day: When did the law get written on my heart?

Matthew 22:18-22

“Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” vss. 20-21

Jesus seems to imply that some things belong to the emperor and that some things belong to God. It’s a clever answer to the question asked by the Herodians, and they’re puzzled about how to respond to it, so they just go away. We might like Jesus’ response but it isn’t necessarily what most people believe. In general, folks in our day think that all things belong to them, and they don’t like to give any of those things away. We really resent giving them to the emperor in the form of taxes–we pay as little as we can. And most of us don’t like giving our things to God either–in our minds that’s voluntary, and if we can avoid such giving we do. Of course the truth of the whole matter, and this is what makes this story fun, is that all things do belong to God. And once we figure this out, we are able to adopt  generous lifestyles and our lives are transformed. Instead of trying to figure out how to hang on to stuff, we dream up ever inventive ways of sharing it with others and giving it away. And once we discover the joy of giving we can’t imagine why it took us so long to get started.

Thought for the Day: When did I discover the joy of giving?

Matthew 22:15-17

“Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” vs. 17

Taxes have always been controversial. American colonists hated it when the English levied taxes on them, particularly since they had no representation in the parliament. In fact when the English put a tax on the tea that was to be unloaded in the Boston Harbor, the Sons of Liberty, in the dead of night and in front of hundreds of people, boarded the three English ships, battered open the shipping crates, and threw all the tea into the harbor. Some say that their Tea Party triggered the American Revolution. So when the Herodians came to Jesus with a question about the legality of taxes there was a potential for real conflict. If he answered “yes” he would lose favor with the people. If he said “no” he could be accused of sedition by the Romans and arrested. At least that was the intention of Jesus’ antagonists. But Jesus, knowing full well what they were up to, devised a clever response that took the wind out of their sails and left them speechless. Jesus knew that taxes are one of the necessities of life, and expected that his followers, as long as they were in this world, would be paying them in one form or another. And while we always tend to believe that taxes are too high, they are generally used for the common good, and that’s a benefit and a blessing to everyone.

Thought for the Day: Are taxes a blessing or a curse?

1 Thessalonians 1:6-10

“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” vss. 6-7

It’s easy for congregations to begin to think of the church in narrow and parochial terms. A pastor gathers a community of believers who begin to worship and who then organize themselves in councils and committees. Sacraments are performed, children are taught, and offerings are taken to support the mission of the congregation. For most of those people their group is the church, and often they don’t have a strong sense of responsibility to the larger body of Christ. When there is a budget item for support of a synod or national body, there will sometimes be attempts to keep that number as low as possible. One of Paul’s purposes in writing to the Thessalonians was to remind them that they were having a powerful influence on other congregations–they had a mission beyond themselves. How wonderful it is when our communities of faith understand those connections. Not only is our local mission expanded but we can become inspirations for one another. The Church of Christ is not just our local group but it’s a network of congregations spread all around the globe, and together we are the presence of Christ for the world.

Thought for the Day: How can congregations help each other?

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

“We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” vss. 2-3

Prayer is one of those great mysteries that are a part of our life in Christ. Most people, even those with minimal faith, use it at one time or another to make their requests known to God, particularly if it’s a matter of life or death. Many have it as a part of their daily routine and use it regularly for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Paul mentions regularly in his letters that he prayed for the people in the congregations he had started. And from his words we discover that prayer isn’t just for connecting us with God, it’s a marvelous tool for connecting us to our faith community, even those who are at a distance. But Paul didn’t just pray for people, he told them that he was praying for them! We would do well to imitate his practice in our own prayer lives. There is no better way to build cohesion in relationships than to tell others that they’re in our prayers. Of course we can’t pray for everyone, but we can pray for some, and when we tell them, it’s as though we’ve kissed their souls. And it’s not just some thoughtful and kind expression of love, something actually happens! Spiritual connections are made that, quite simply, can never be broken.

Thought for the Day: What happens when I tell others I am praying for them?

Psalm  96:1-9

“Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.” vs, 7

To his credit, the psalmist did not consider the Lord to be Israel’s national God. Even though there was a temple in Jerusalem, there was no statue of the Lord to be found there. The God of Israel was also the God of the nations, and the psalmist dreamed of a day when all the families of the peoples would ascribe to the Lord glory and might. It is a worthy vision but it hasn’t come close to being a reality. Instead the world is adrift with gods galore and even people of the same religion or faith are hopelessly split by their contradictory definitions of the Divine Presence. We can agree in theory that there is but one God but we show by our practices that we prefer the old gods of our various traditions. We’re separated by our rituals and dogmas and will fight to the death to preserve our separate ancient creeds. Instead of being a great unifier, religion has continued to be a source of division and even warfare. Our most horrendous atrocities continue to be those done in the name of religion–is it any wonder that millions have sworn off religion altogether? Some even say that humans would be far better off if they stopped ascribing allegiance to any god–and it’s hard to make a good argument against such a notion. Perhaps some day we’ll grow up and truly become one people under God. Who knows?

Thought for the Day: What might cause me to give up on faith?

Isaiah 45:5-7

“I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.” 6b-7

According to Isaiah, Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed, did not know the Lord, but that didn’t make any difference. Because God is, all things have their being in God. In fact, Isaiah says, not only do light and darkness come from God, so do both good and evil! That thought may seem offensive to those who say things like “God is good,” and who blame evil on demonic, satanic beings who have somehow infiltrated God’s good world. There are in fact many who prefer that easy to understand dualistic view of existence, and we can find bible verses to back up that perspective. But Isaiah doesn’t think that’s an adequate way to understand existence. For him all things have their origin in God. And when we think about it, that way of looking at things makes a lot of sense. Neither good nor evil can even exist without the presence of the other! And if we’re not a fan of the word “evil” perhaps we could simply say, “the world is both good and broken.” Put that way most all of us can agree, because that’s how we experience it! Granted, we have a strong preference for the “goodish” side of things, both in ourselves and in others. But we’re never surprised when the cracks and flaws show up. That’s just how it is in God’s good world!

Thought for the Day: What would life be like if there were no evil?

Isaiah 45:1-4

“Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him— and the gates shall not be closed:” vs. 1

Talk about the ironies and the vagaries of history in the Middle East! Back in the days of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, the prophet wrote that Cyrus, the king of Persia, was the Lord’s anointed, and that Cyrus would be the Lord’s right hand in setting Israel free and in bringing them back to their homeland. Fast forward to the present and we find Iran (modern day Persia) vowing to leave no stone unturned in driving Israel into the sea. It’s a reminder that in reality no nation can make a claim to be God’s favorite–and while the policies of any one nation or people have enormous effect on their neighbors for good or for evil, ultimately all people are under God. And while there is little doubt about the immediate cause of the war between Gaza and Israel, it is also true that the root causes go back for many hundreds of years. Our role as the followers of Jesus is to pray for an end to the violence and to reach out to those who are suffering, both Jews and Palestinians. We pray that a new anointed one would be raised up and that one day out of the pain there would emerge healing and restoration.

Thought for the Day: What can I do in this moment of crisis?

Matthew 21:11-14

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.” vss. 11-12

Matthew really didn’t need to add this little addendum to Jesus’ parable. Up to this point the story was straightforward and blunt, and it had a happy ending–the banquet hall was filled. But now we have this bit about a guest without a wedding robe, and it isn’t at all clear what the problem was. It doesn’t seem to have been a minor faux pas either–the man was thrown out of the hall and into a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. The only clue is in the final verse, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” This mysterious phrase points to one of the realities of life in a faith community. Just because people have become a part of the church doesn’t mean they’ll all be clothed with white robes of righteousness. Sometimes we run into real rascals in our congregations, and we can’t always trust that our brothers and sisters in Christ are going to be paragons of virtue. It really gets tough when these people are those that we’ve come to call “friends.” This may not be what this parable is about, but it could be, and it’s likely something that we’ve all experienced.

Thought for the Day: Times when friends weren’t who we thought they were.

Matthew 22:1-10

“…while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.” vss. 6-7

In this parable Jesus tells about a king who issued invitations to the wedding banquet of his son, and how some who received the invitation actually responded by mistreating and killing the messengers. In his story the king was enraged, sent troops, and destroyed the murderers and their city. As we read these words this week we cannot help but think of what has happened in Israel–only what we’re hearing and seeing isn’t a story, it’s an actual event. Hamas has committed an atrocity, and now Israel, full of anger and rage, is in the process of destroying Gaza. Obviously, we can have long conversations about context and the long simmering tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, but for now what we are seeing is pure hatred and revenge, and we fear that what we are seeing is only the beginning of even more bloodshed and loss of life. Ironically, Jesus’ parable ends with a great wedding banquet and a wedding hall that is full of guests, both the good and the bad. Is it too much to hope that someday this parabolic scene might become a reality, and that Jews, Palestinians, and Christians, both good and bad, could sit down together to eat and drink a celebratory meal? Some would say “No way,” but surely there is always room for hope, even if it’s an impossible dream!

Thought for the Day: When is revenge ever satisfied?