Romans 12:3-8

“For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” vss. 4-5

Life in Christ is communal! That’s one of the basic teachings of Christianity 101 and nothing good happens when we don’t take it seriously. And yet that is exactly what has taken place in our congregations in the last century. The connection with the Body has been lost in favor of a self-centered individualism, and people are drifting away from the Church by the thousands. Young people stop worshiping as they pursue their own interests, move out of the congregations that have nourished them, and never again bother to connect with a spiritual community. It’s not that they begin to lose themselves in hedonistic behaviors–not at all–they simply adopt a secular way of life. They likely don’t miss the Church as much as the Church misses them. Oh how good it is when we recognize the value of being connected to a community of faith. It’s here that we are supported in our suffering and encouraged in our sacrificial service. Together we reach out to the broken and the poor and continue the work of Jesus in our broken world. And through it all we are bound together by unconditional love and endless mercy. And most importantly perhaps, it’s here that we find our purpose, it’s here we find our niche!

Thought for the Day: Where is my niche in my congregation?

Romans 12:1-2

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” vs. 1

When Paul was making his own decisions about life he used his personality and his learning to launch a crusade against Jews who believed that Jesus was the messiah. After he was confronted by the living Christ everything changed. Moved by the gospel of grace, he presented himself as a living sacrifice, and, directed by the Holy Spirit, used his life to proclaim Jesus as messiah to all who would listen, and even those who wouldn’t. In the course of that missionary work he began to invite all who were called by the Spirit into the community of believers to also present their bodies as living sacrifice. We don’t often think that way anymore. Instead we like to determine how our bodies will be used and are bold enough to dictate to the Spirit how we would like the days of our lives to unfold. “Our will, not thine,” is our prayer, and we wonder why we are so often frustrated and unhappy. In reaction some have learned to do as the old hymn suggests: “Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.” Many do that in their morning prayers, daily offering their time and energy to God, and expecting to be used in loving service. And they are blessed!

Thought for the Day: What happens when our calendars rule our days?

Psalm 138

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” vs. 8

We like to believe that we have a purpose in life, and some of us spend a lifetime trying to figure out exactly what that is. Many wander aimlessly as though in a maze, trying first one thing and then another, hoping to perhaps stumble on their reason for being. The psalmist too believed that he had a purpose, but he doesn’t seem to have worried about it. Instead he patiently waits, trusting that his Creator’s purpose would be fulfilled. That’s not easy to do, particularly when for some reason or another we have an elevated sense of purpose, that we and we alone are God’s gift to humanity. We forget that life is communal and that our purpose will be found in the context of community. It’s as we put our gifts at the service of the body, that we find our niche and our satisfaction. And we don’t necessarily get to pick our purpose. The community knows our gifts and will lovingly make a place for us. Occasionally that can be a humbling experience, especially when we have an exalted sense of what we have to offer. It’s hard to be an appendix when we think we’ve called to be the brains of the outfit! When we’ve thought of “standing out” as our purpose, it’s hard to adjust our thinking to “fitting in,” yet that’s likely exactly what our loving community needs.

Thought for the Day: What’s the Lord’s purpose for me?

Isaiah 51:3-6

“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.” vs. 6

At first glance the prophet’s vision for his people seems horribly depressing, but as we think about what he means, a deep and comforting truth is revealed. We tend to think of the future in terms of the present, that what we see and experience in this life will persist forever. Along with that notion many are tempted to make possessions the measure of success and the insurance of their future security. But Isaiah tells us everything that we can see and experience will have an ending, and he doesn’t leave anything out! Of course there’s no indication of when that will be, and it’s not likely to be soon. But all that is so important to us now–people, places, things–has a fleeting existence. In a couple of generations most of us will be long forgotten–even those photos we’ve so carefully preserved in the cloud will have disappeared. And that’s okay! We can still enjoy the present even if there is no warranty, and besides, as the prophet says, God’s salvation is forever, and that’s our real hope for the future. As long as God is, we will be!

Thought for the Day: How do I feel about being forgotten?

Isaiah 51:1-3

“Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.” vs. 1

It’s sad when people seem to have no interest in those who have gone before them. History is often ranked as one of the least popular courses of study in school. Youth will say, “What’s the point of learning about people who lived hundreds of years ago? It’s all so boring.” In their estimation all that counts is keeping up with popular culture and what’s going on in Hollywood. They know all the latest songs and rock groups but don’t know a thing about their ancestor’s story or values. Isaiah would have been appalled, and his words strike a chord, “Listen, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn.” He was talking about the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel, and believed that the nation could find its soul after its return from exile by looking to its origins. It’s not that everyone who came before us has done everything right–not at all. But there is so much that we can learn from their missteps and failures! And it’s certainly true that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. There’s a lot about newness that is attractive and good, but paying attention to the old is what keeps us on track!

Thought for the Day: How do I feel about history?

Matthew 15:25-28

“He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’” vss. 26-27

Most of the time in the gospels we read that Jesus outsmarted his adversaries and left them speechless. None of his opponents could stand up against his clever use of logic and scripture. But in his encounter with the Canaanite woman he was clearly outmaneuvered. He begins with an insult, clearly implying that the Canaanites were in the same category as dogs. But her clever, almost humorous comeback, impresses him. He recognizes her great faith and the woman’s daughter is instantly healed. It was instances like this that began the gradual shift in the direction of Jesus’ mission, and ultimately not only outsiders, but women, came to play an important role in the life of the Christian community. It’s a pattern that has continued to evolve through the centuries and we’re finally at a stage when we’re more likely to drop the labels and simply accept one another as gifted, much loved children of God. It’s still not easy though, and we regularly read of the old prejudices rearing their ugly heads in the church. In some congregations debates about sexuality and gender continue to rage. It’s just not easy to give people a place at the table when they’ve been considered outsiders for generations. Jesus figured it out–maybe someday his followers can too.

Thought for the Day: Which are the hardest prejudices to overcome?

Matthew 15:21-24

“But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’” vs 23

For the most part Jesus stayed away from the Canaanites, the original inhabitants of the land. He was a Jew, and the Jews considered these pagan persons to be unclean. He did the bulk of his teaching and healing in towns and villages that were exclusively Jewish. These were the people to whom he had been sent. But in this passage Jesus has traveled away from Galilee and has encountered a Canaanite woman who urgently demanded that he heal her daughter. We’re used to a compassionate Jesus and it may be a bit of a surprise that he ignores her. We forget how very Jewish Jesus was, and how rigid religious and national boundaries can be. Many of us know what that can be like. Some of us grew up in extremely intolerant households and were taught to stay away from people of other faiths or backgrounds. That was a huge issue in the early church and the Holy Spirit had to work overtime to finally overcome those prejudices. During his ministry Jesus did, very occasionally, surprise his disciples with his willingness to reach across boundaries, but only after his resurrection were the bulk of his followers willing to do the same. And some would say, we still have a long way to go!

Thought for the Day: Where have I experienced intolerance?

Romans 11:29-32

“For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.” vs. 32

Paul knew that the Jews and Gentiles had nothing in common on the basis of their heritage or religious background. But what they did have in common was disobedience. All people are created good and are in the image of God, and all people are broken. To put it bluntly, all people are sinners! That’s what we have in common with every person on earth, no matter what our ethnic, national, or religious background. We know this, not because of what we’ve been taught, but because of what we’ve experienced. After all this is how we connect and identify with others, it’s not on the basis of our goodness but because of our common brokenness. Even if sometimes we act as though we are more good than others, in our hearts we know we aren’t. And that’s good news! It’s because of our disobedience, our sinfulness, our brokenness, however we want to label it, that we can be confident of the overwhelming and universal mercy of God. Another way of putting it is this: there is absolutely nothing in our pasts, no sin or brokenness, that can define our future. In Christ, as a forgiven sinner, every day provides a fresh start for me to show off my intrinsic goodness! And that’s true for every one of us, Jews and Gentiles alike!

Thought for the Day: How is today’s fresh start going for me?

Romans 11:1-2a

“I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.” vs. 1

Paul knew his heritage and was proud of it–he could name his ancestors in a heartbeat. Some of us know what that is like. We proudly fly the national flags of our ancestors, and have spent years tracing our lineage back for hundreds of years. 

We gorge ourselves on foods like lutefisk and lefse (even if we don’t like them) to celebrate our heritage. For some it’s a point of pride, even to the point of being offensive–a few even claim superiority because of their genetic history. On the surface there’s nothing wrong with this–it’s fine to be aware of our ancestry. But sometimes it can get out of hand, particularly in the church. Some denominations have had a dickens of a time shedding the exclusivist baggage that goes with those national and cultural attachments. Paul knew that in Christ his racial background counted for nothing, and that he now belonged to a much larger family, one that included people of all backgrounds and nationalities. That’s a much needed lesson for those who continue to cling to those old customs and traditions. Our faith family is more spectacular than we have even imagined. It’s about time we discard those artificial distinctions and clothe ourselves in the unity of God’s universal and unconditional love.

Thought for the Day: What does my ethnic heritage mean to me?

Psalm 67:4-7

“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.” vss. 6-7

The psalmist is right! God has indeed blessed humanity with this incredible planet. Even though it had been around for billions of years before we arrived, it has been a garden of delights for humans and we have been blessed as our species has spread throughout the globe. We’ve harvested and tilled, built towns and cities, mined enormous fortunes, and used every resource of the air, land, and sea that we could lay our hands on. So far as we know there’s no other place in the universe where we could possibly have prospered in such a fashion. And now some are saying, we may have gone too far! We’ve spread our garbage across the globe and made our mark in ways that cannot be erased. And it’s the invisible pollutants that are likely to do us the most harm: the radiation, the atmospheric changes, the warming seas. And we’re beginning to see the effects: massive flooding, intolerable heat, huge storms, and we’re unable to do anything but to keep on shooting and bombing. The psalmist prayed for God’s continued blessings–and that has again become our only hope. We know that the earth will survive–but we’d love to continue to live and prosper upon it. We’ll soon find out–the crisis is upon it. We don’t yet know how it will turn out!

Thought for the Day: How will things be for our great grandchildren?