Psalm 80:3-7

“Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” vs. 7

When things were going bad for the people of Israel, something that happened with some frequency, it was not unusual for their prophets and psalmists to yearn for restoration. In recent years we’ve even seen that theme used as a political slogan as some have lifted up their voices to urge that America be made great again. Such persons remember a time of prosperity and global strength, and they yearn for the blessings of that past to return. And while such collective memories can’t necessarily be trusted, and what were good times for some were bad times for others, there is no doubt that all people have moments when they pray fervently for restoration, not only for themselves but for those they love. This is the essence of healing, both of body and soul. When we’re sick or disabled, and the feeling of wellness has become a memory, we yearn to feel good again–we want the cancers gone and the anxieties to disappear. And when we begin to see signs of restoration our spirits soar and we sense that salvation is at hand. It really is a delight to move through that process of restoration–and, as each day brings a new sign of healing, it seems almost magical. Sometimes we’ve been so far down that we can’t even remember what it felt like to feel good, and when that healing moment comes the joy is overwhelming!

Thought for the Day: How has restoration touched my life?

Isaiah 5:1-7

“What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?” vs. 4

Isaiah’s love song on behalf of the Lord in chapter 5 has a country western quality to it. The lyrics speak of unrequited love, the devotion of the beloved as he pours all of his energy in constructing the finest vineyard imaginable, and the devastating disappointment which follows. He had expected the finest wines, and instead had gotten wild grapes. The vineyard is of course Israel–the beloved nation, says Isaiah, has been a bitter disappointment to the Lord. We understand the power of that little word, “why.” Some have used it again and again as an expression of frustration and bewilderment. Why have my children, for whom I have spared no expense, and on whom I’ve lavished my unconditional love, proven to be such a disappointment? Why has my country, with all of its magnificent resources and amazing people, turned out to be a nation full of bitter and angry citizens? Why is my life such a mess when my expectations were so wholesome and good? Often such why questions lead to judgment, anger, and bitterness and asking them introduces us to a pit of despair from which there is no relief. In fact Isaiah implies that the Lord’s why would mean the destruction of Israel–but that didn’t happen! Why not? Because the Lord never stops loving, and neither should we!

Thought for the Day: What triggers why questions for me?

Matthew 21:28-32

“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.’” vs. 31b

It must have been hard for the chief priests and the elders to hear these words of Jesus. They had understood his parable about the two sons asked to work in the vineyard–they knew which son had done the father’s will. But they likely didn’t realize the story was about them, and that it called into question everything they’d ever believed about their relationship to God. And when he told them that sinners would go into the kingdom of God before them, they were shocked to the core. This man Jesus was more dangerous than they’d ever dreamed. If he were allowed to continue their whole religion would be turned topsy-turvy. That’s what Jesus continues to do when his followers get too religious for their own good. It’s stunning how quickly we who follow the rules begin to believe that our obedience sets us apart from the sinners in our midst. How easy it is for us to look down on the misfits and misguided and make assumptions about their relationship to God! We have such contempt for the broken and addicted–and then Jesus comes and points out our hypocrisy. Who is it that really gets grace? And who regularly feasts on the crumbs of forgiveness that are scattered their way? It’s those we think we’re better than! And it’s our religion that needs to come tumbling down!

Thought for the Day: Who do I think I’m better than in my heart?

Matthew 21:23-27

“When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’” vs. 23

The chief priests and the elders were concerned about Jesus’ credentials, and they had a point. They had responsibility for what went on in the temple and it wasn’t appropriate for just any random teacher to come in and say whatever they pleased. When the Church took shape and began to expand, leaders realized that the question of authority was going to be important for ministry. Teachers and preachers would need to be properly credentialed before they could take office or carry out a function. Most congregations require that their pastors be duly authorized by the larger church before they can be installed–it’s a way to ensure that their words and actions can be trusted. But sometimes charismatic leaders come along with no credentials but with tremendous personal appeal–and like Jesus they can become a huge threat to the status quo. Pastors and bishops are threatened by these interlopers. Often they use television and the internet with amazing skill and are able to gather millions of followers. People in congregations are confused. Some wonder if credentials are that important anymore. But for others authority is closely aligned with trust. All of us need authority figures, but in these changing times, just who is that going to be?

Thought for the Day: Who are my authority figures?

Philippians 2:5-13

“Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” vss. 12-13

Paul is not telling the Philippians to forget about the grace of God with these profound and insightful words. Not at all! All of us have salvation as a gift through the sacrificial love of Jesus the Christ. But that salvation will have a particular shape in every person, and we’ll all experience it in different ways. Paul says it must be worked out with fear and trembling, a phase that has been the subject of profound debate among theologians. Essentially he’s speaking about faith, the ever elusive connection between ourselves and God. It’s ever-changing, and just when we think we have it figured out, new questions arise, and we’re forced to reconsider once again just what it is that we believe in. Occasionally we’ll even wander into the areas of skepticism and unbelief–it’s just so hard to figure out satisfactory answers when it comes to God and the Universe. No wonder it’s a process wrought with fear and trembling! Paul gives one word of comfort. Always as we struggle we should remember that the Divine Presence is involved, and through the work of the Spirit, our faith journey will have a satisfactory conclusion.

Thought for the Day: What have my faith struggles been like?

Philippians 2:1-4

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” vss. 3-4

From time to time we run into people who actually follow Paul’s prescription for the life of faith. They’re all around us, and many can be found in our congregations. Sometimes we don’t even know that they’re there. By nature and conviction they call no attention to themselves, gladly remaining in the background and adopting a servant attitude and posture. It is people like this, from every walk of life, who are the bulwark of every faith community. Because they are completely overshadowed by the attention-grabbers who dominate the media we need regular reminders of their presence. The politicians, movie and television stars, athletes, and musicians who daily compete for our allegiance and support are the real nobodies of our world. They contribute little to our daily well-being and actually distract us from our calling to be the living presence of Christ to our families, friends, and neighbors. Oh what a different society we would have if more people chose humility instead of arrogance as a lifestyle! It’s not an easy decision. We’re taught from our earliest days that the squeaky wheel gets the grease and self-promotion is regarded as necessary in our ego-centered, success oriented culture. So putting the interests of others before our own may not come naturally, but it provides enormous dividends for the people of God.

Thought for the Day: Are people humble by nature or by choice?

Psalm 25:1-9

“Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!” vs. 7

All of us have a history! It begins in childhood and continues through our entire lives, and everything is recorded! Some would just as soon leave some early events out–they’re not proud of what they’ve done. The psalmist probably would have fallen in that category. He asks the Lord to forget about the sins of his youth and his transgressions. And unless we’re interested in writing our memoirs for posterity and want to be completely transparent, that’s not a bad idea. Some have stuff from the past that they’ve been dragging around for most of their lives–some even have the notion that they can’t ever change, that they’ll always be the way they’ve been, and that’s a pretty stagnating way to live. One of the basic principles of the Christ life is that our past does not define our future. We don’t have to keep on living unsatisfactory lives, and even if we’ve messed up royally in the past, there’s absolutely no reason to keep on doing that. We can change! Our old faults and failures need not define us. In terms familiar to most, we can be born again. That good news comes straight from the heart of the gospel, and is music to the ears of every sinner. Forget your past and embrace your future! Be surrounded by the steadfast love of God!

Thought for the Day: When does the past get me down?

Ezekiel 18:25-32

“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.” vs. 32

Bad things had been happening to the people of Israel and many of them had concluded that all of this was the Lord’s fault and that the Lord could not be trusted. Ezekiel reminded them that all the bad stuff that had happened in the life of the Israelites was their own fault. If they wanted a better future for their nation, all they had to do was clean up their act. He sums it up by saying, “Turn, then, and live!” Those same words could be applied to many nations in our times too. All over the world we see countries struggling with the same issues: rising temperatures, unceasing wars, massive numbers of refugees, natural disasters of every kind, and some would say God has really messed up. Really! The truth is that the world faces impending disaster because of our own malfeasance. We live in a finely tuned beautiful creation, one that is highly sensitive to the changes wrought by humanity. If collectively we really do want a better future, the solution is the same as the one suggested by Ezekiel, “Turn, then, and live!” Things can improve! It all depends upon how much we want it, and how much we can change the way we’ve been operating. Unless we do, the years ahead will be pretty much like the ones we’ve been enduring!

Thought for the Day: What are the prospects of humanity changing?

Ezekiel 18:1-4

“Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.” vs. 4

It was written in the law of Israel, “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation…”  The sentiment seems severe, yet we can see its truth. Children suffer because of what their parents and grandparents have done. They live in deplorable conditions and face enormous obstacles, not because of their actions, but because of what those who have gone before them have done. It’s as plain as the noses on their faces. Yet the prophet Ezekiel dares to put forward another great truth. A child is not liable for the sins of its parents. This hopeful corrective to the law means that we are not bound to walk in the ways of our ancestors. Even if they’ve been the scum of the earth, we don’t need to be that way. We can be different. This is much more in line with the teachings of Jesus and takes away the sense of inevitability for what happens in our lives. Every single person gets a fresh start in Christ Jesus and each person can chart their own path through life. Of course parents will have an influence, at the very least there will be a genetic connection, but they can’t determine our future–and we can’t blame them for how we’ve turned out.

Thought for the Day: What parental influences have I noticed?

Matthew 20:8-16

“Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” vss. 14-15

In this delightfully composed parable Jesus describes how the owner of the vineyard pays the same daily wage to all the workers that he had hired, whether they had worked twelve hours or one. As we might expect, even though all had initially agreed to the wage, there was a mighty protest from those who had worked all day. In their eyes, it just wasn’t fair! And most of us would say “Amen”! In our world management can’t get away with such blatant inequities. But Jesus isn’t talking about some sort of labor dispute, this parable is all about God’s boundless compassion and steadfast love. But even though we know that, there are still some who think God is being unfair–they really don’t like the idea of equality when it comes to spiritual benefits. The idea that some are getting more or less than they deserve breeds resentment–and it’s a notion that is deep-rooted in our faith communities. In every congregation there is great disparity among members–some are generous, some not so much. And it’s just hard to accept that all have equal status in the eyes of God. What a blessing it is to find a congregation in which no distinctions are made, and all are content with what they receive!

Thought for the Day: What inequalities have I experienced in church?