John 2:19-22

“After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” vs. 22

As he concludes the story of how an angry Jesus cleansed the temple precincts by chasing off the merchants and the moneychangers, the gospel writer John gives some clues about how the gospels were written. First he reminds us that it was after the resurrection that the disciples remembered the things that Jesus had said. There were no people taking notes during Jesus’ sermons or conversations–no one had tape recorders and there were certainly no smart phones. All the things we know about Jesus’ words and actions come through the memories of his disciples. This doesn’t mean they can’t be trusted–this is how information was passed on in those days, and because memories were finely honed, the stories are likely quite accurate. After some years those accounts were written down to preserve their transmission to the next generation. When the gospels were finally written the writers made use of those written sources as they composed the editions we have in our bibles. That’s why we see differences in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry, and what a blessing that is! It’s what we might expect from stories that have been remembered and passed down through different witnesses. The bible is a thoroughly human book in its origins and it’s for that reason that we can trust its words.

Thought for the Day: Why do we remember different things about the same event?

John 2:13-17

“Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” vs. 15

If we were asked to describe Jesus we would likely use words like wise, charismatic, loving, humble, and gentle. Yet passages like this one from John would indicate that we should also add the adjective “angry” to the list. Because many struggle with anger issues, it can be difficult to even imagine that Jesus had those feelings. But he did! And a careful reading of the gospels will show us many instances where Jesus expressed anger, and he did it without apology! So anger is an appropriate emotion for disciples of Jesus, but not in the ways that we often experience it. His anger was not the out of control explosive type that plagues us on the freeways or in conversations about politics. Jesus got angry at the misguided efforts of the Pharisee and scribes to make the law a burden. He got angry at the exclusion of sinners from God’s grace, and the grinding poverty of the poor. In the instance mentioned by John he was infuriated at the systematic abuse of the temple sacrificial system. Certainly there will be times when we too are called to express righteous indignation at the ways people continue to be abused and neglected. Some of the things being done in our world deserve our angry and unapologetic responses. As disciples of Jesus, it really is our duty!

Thought for the Day: What makes me angry?

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

“For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” vs. 25

When Jesus was crucified, as far as the Jewish leaders were concerned, that was the end of his claim to be the messiah. But they hadn’t reckoned with the resurrection! As far as the disciples  were concerned, his crucifixion was all part of the divine plan, and the cross became their rallying cry. They gloried in the message of the crucified Christ and proclaimed it wherever they traveled. The Jews had expected a king who would restore the kingdom to Israel. What they got was a plan of universal salvation that would restore fallen humanity. What had seemed to be foolish and weak turned out to be the wisdom and strength of God. There’s a part of us that would still like some triumphant power move from God, an army of angels from heaven perhaps, that would root out all sin and evildoers. Humans have always been suckers for the brash and the belligerent, and we half-way admire tyrants. But that is not how God operates. Instead of aggression we get unconditional love and relentless self-sacrifice, and ultimately it’s in death that we discover the door to eternal life. That the message that has been transforming lives for hundreds of years, and that’s the way it will continue to be. And bit by bit as we take that message to heart, we are recreated, and the image of God shines forth.

Thought for the Day: Why was the message of the cross so powerful?

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” vs. 20

Each day we see reports about the heart-breaking loss of innocent lives in a seemingly endless cycle of wars and revolutions. There seems to be no end to our capacity to inflict suffering on one another, and most distressingly, there seems to be no end in sight. Recalcitrant powerful people are unwilling to yield in any way to their perceived enemies. Of course all this has happened before. In the last century tens of millions of people died in our world wars, one of which was said to be “the war to end all wars.” Since all are created in the image of God, and gifted with the ability to engage in rational thought, it might seem reasonable to expect that after all these centuries of blood-shed and mayhem, someone might have come up with a way to stop the fighting. Maybe Paul is right, and the so-called wisdom of the world is nothing but foolishness and pointless chatter. It certainly would seem that way. Paul believed that the salvation of humanity is tied to the message of the cross, the good news that selfless sacrifice is the answer to the problem of sin. He pointed to Jesus and said, “This is the way,” and the wise people of his age called him foolish. But maybe the real foolishness is to keep on doing the same things while hoping for different results! 

Thought for the Day: What is an alternative to war?

Psalm 19

“Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” vss, 2-4a

The psalmist believed that God was revealed in the creation. If we wanted to know God all we needed to do was open up our eyes and take a look around. And if we do that, the psalmist wants us to know, we will discover the glory of the Lord. Even though we hear no speech or words, the voice of creation speaks clearly and the wonders of the universe are made known. And it is spectacular! The psalmist wrote these words thousands of years ago, and their truth is amplified with each new scientific discovery. We will never cease to be surprised–that’s just how wonderful this old world is. And the neat thing is that as we grow in our knowledge of our surroundings we are also immersing ourselves in the essence of God. There was a time when our knowledge of God was limited–many thought of God as a supreme being living off in the clouds in a place called heaven. But as we have continued to listen to creation’s speech in the day and in the night, exploring our God connections, knowledge and intimacy grows. We know now that we are never apart from God because we are eternally a part of God.

Thought for the Day: What has creation taught me about God?

Exodus 20:12-17

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” vs. 16

Martin Luther, the sixteenth century German reformer, wanted parents to take the lead in teaching their children the basics of the Christian faith. And since many of the parents in his time lacked the knowledge to do proper training, he wrote a small catechism as an aid. That Small Catechism, covering the Ten Commandments, the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism, has been used to train millions of youth in subsequent centuries. Written in an easy to understand question and answer format, Luther’s explanations are still the gold standard for believers. In particular, the meaning he attached to the eighth commandment deserves even wider circulation, especially in this election year. In discussing false witness he wrote: “We should fear and love God, so that we do not lie about, betray, slander, or defame our neighbors, but apologize for them, speak well of them, and put the most charitable construction on all that they do.” Wow, just imagine how the climate of our social interactions would change if we put these simple instructions into practice! There’d certainly be a wholesale change in the tone of our social media posts. And the speeches of politicians would get a lot shorter! Why can’t we do this? It’s so basic! And there’s nothing that would change our culture more!

Thought for the Day: Why is it so hard to speak well of and apologize for others?

Exodus 20:1-11

“Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work…” vss. 6-10a

Of all the commandments that the Israelites brought with them out of the wilderness and into the promised land, the most important was probably the first, “You shall have no other gods before me.” This commandment established them as a monotheistic people, an identification that they have held proudly to this day. But the commandment that had the most significance for them in their daily living was “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.” No work was to be done and through the centuries various rabbis established extensive lists of permitted activities for this holy day. When Jesus began his ministry, his repeated violations of the sabbath were the major cause for the rift that occurred between him and the religious leaders. They just could stomach his lackadaisical attitude! Of course it’s not just the Jews who have rules for the sabbath. There was a time when church leaders had their own lists of things you could or couldn’t do on the sabbath. Since it’s a blessing for humans to have a holy day every week, we can understand the intention of the lists. But it’s been getting harder to get any consensus for community wide standards. Every family is on its own, and blessed are those who are able to establish a day of rest for themselves, and to follow through!

Thought for the Day: Why is a sabbath day a blessing?

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

Through the years many have come to think of themselves as followers of Jesus. It works better for their self-understanding than the word “Christian,” a broad term that has come to mean a variety of things in our contemporary culture. They like being able to say in describing their religion or faith, “I’m not a Christian. I’m a follower of Jesus!” In their minds this distinction conveys their convictions without connecting them to an oft misunderstood set of religious beliefs. But what some have come to recognize is that the word “follower” suffers from its own inadequacies. Being a follower is essentially a passive enterprise, almost a thoughtless journey along a well-traveled path. It’s a sheeplike behavior, one that can be easily distracted or hijacked. Now some would argue that this is entirely appropriate, that we really are sheep and that our call is to follow the shepherd, Jesus. But there is a better word, one that early believers readily adopted, and that’s the word “disciple.” Being a disciple is a step up from being a follower and involves training, study, and discipline. Many people followed Jesus and some of them became disciples, and as they grew in knowledge and commitment, his ministry was put in their hands. So it’s good to be a follower, but even better to be a disciple!

Thought for the Day: Am I a disciple or a follower?

Mark 8:31-33

“But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’” vs. 33

In a very short time Peter had become the leader of the disciples. He had believed the good news of God proclaimed by Jesus and had committed himself to his mission. But there was a problem! Peter believed that he knew the scope of the messiah’s mission better than Jesus did–and he wasn’t at all shy about pointing out where Jesus had gone astray. And in Peter’s words Jesus heard Satan speaking, the same adversary he’d encountered in the wilderness. We really can’t be too hard on Peter. Countless followers of Jesus have run into the same issue. We try to recalibrate the message of Jesus to fit the culture and the times. For the sake of being relevant we move away from the clear message of the cross, and propose that our congregations become more involved in social or political issues. Even worship services are tainted by their pastors’ movements to the right or the left in an effort to be the “Church of what’s happening now.” Jesus has entrusted to his Church a gospel that has everything to do with our relationships to God, neighbor, and creation. We are called to love unconditionally and to serve sacrificially, and put aside our obsessions with wealth, power, and privilege. And as we lose our lives for Jesus’ sake, we will find them.

Thought for the Day: Where do I get off the track in my discipleship?

Romans 4:18-22

“No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God…” vs. 20

When Paul says that faith rather than obedience was the key to Abraham’s righteousness, he wasn’t blowing smoke. It’s faith that draws us into a relationship with God and it’s faith that causes us to “hope against hope” for the fulfillment of God’s promises. Most know what it is to hope, but hoping against hope is hope on steroids. It’s the hope that keeps us going in the face of the impossible. It’s the hope that says, “not yet,” when the doctor says “no more.” We see that kind of hope occasionally on our journey, and maybe we’ve felt it ourselves. It can be a powerful gift, but it’s no shame if we don’t have it. After all, Genesis tells us that Sarah actually laughed when she heard the promise of a child. But faith is about the relationship with God, and sometimes, a lot of times, when we are weak, God is strong. In the course of a lifetime faith will ebb and flow. Sometimes we can get in a groove and go for years with no tests or doubts, and there will be no occasions for testing the strength of our hope. But then comes the challenge, and hope kicks in big time. In those moments the Spirit, who has faithfully been standing by, gives us all the strength we need, and we breathe, “Thank God for faith. I don’t know what I’d do without it!”

Thought for the Day: Times when I’ve “hoped against hope”.