St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Illinois: Recent Episodes
St. Peter Lutheran Church
In this world of pain and problems, we often feel helpless and question God's presence and help. How can we be certain that God is with us and will help us? The psalmist tells us how in Psalm 91.
Jesus - the Light of the World - did not simply come to illumine our lives here but to lead us to His everlasting light! Revelation holds before us the hope of the new creation, our eternal abode where God’s presence, glory, and light (the lamp of the Lamb) alone beautify us and satisfy our every need. There may or may not be a literal sun and moon in the new cosmos; either way, the lamp of Christ is sufficient to make the saints resplendent. Moreover, the absence of night and darkness here emphasizes the fact that (1) nothing from the old world will be able to hinder God’s glorious presence from filling the new creation; and (2) God’s children will enjoy unhindered access to the full presence of Yahweh. God’s presence does not fully dwell in this creation because evil still resides here, and our access to God here is limited to faith, not actual sight. In the new creation, however, the age-long benediction of Numbers 6 reaches its fullest possible extent where God’s face forever and unhindered shines upon us.
When Jesus came into our heart with all of His light, He re-made us to shine His light right where we live, work, worship, and play. God didn’t give us His light so that it could be hidden or kept on the DL; rather, God gave us His light that we would shine brightly. Moreover, Jesus underscores our identity and calling when He says: “You, yourselves (emphasis), are the light of the world. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” This identity and calling is unique to Christians; no other people on earth can truly illumine this world. Moreover, we enlighten this world and bring glory to God when we do good works in His name, which is precisely what God has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2:10).
In a world that was captive to the darkness of sin, evil, and the evil one, God sent His Son to bring us true light. Granted, His light exposes our sin, yet just as quickly, He expels it from the deepest recesses of our being. In this way, exposure to His powerful light actually brings freedom and release from even the oldest habits, hurts, and hang-ups. As “children of the light” now, Jesus calls us (1) to walk as children of the light (i.e., in all that is good and right and true); (2) to discern what is pleasing to the Lord; (3) to take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; and (4) to actually expose such works of darkness.
Continuing his thought from v5 on clothing ourselves with humility towards one another, Peter ends his epistle exhorting us from firsthand experience himself to humble ourselves under our faith in God (v6). Two particular ways in which we express our humble dependence upon God is: (1) by casting all our anxieties on Him as worry is a form of pride; and (2) being sober-minded and ever-watchful in faith given the constant danger of the evil one (v7-9). Our time of suffering here is short compared to the joys of eternity, and the God of all grace will exalt us on the last day when He restores, confirms, strengthens, and establishes us and all creation in Christ (v6, 10).
As part of Peter’s words to suffering Christians, he has a specific word for the shepherds who care for Christ’s flock. He calls shepherds/pastors to shepherd God’s flock via three exhortations: (1) pastors are to “shepherd” the church gladly in accordance with God’s will, instead of doing it out of a sense of compulsion; (2) they are to do the work of shepherd eagerly and not out of greed or for shameful gain; and (3) they are to serve as examples to the congregation, and not to use their place of leadership as a means to be domineering. Shepherds too have an endtime promise: “when the Chief Shepherd appears, they will receive the unfading crown of glory” (v4). Finally, both shepherd and sheep are exhorted to clothe themselves with humility towards one another, for the humble receive grace from God (v5).
Peter tells us that “the heat will be turned up” as Christians in this world, but our “fiery trials” are tests by which we share in Christ’s sufferings. As ironic as it sounds, we actually “rejoice” in our trials that we may also “rejoice and be glad” when Christ’s glory is revealed (v13). Likewise, if we are verbally assaulted for the name of Christ now, in reality we are blessed in the Spirit who rests upon us (v14). Suffering as a Christian, therefore, is not to our shame but to the glory of God’s name (v16). God is the end-time judge for everyone (v17-18); so according to God’s higher will, when we do suffer for Christ-like behavior, we entrust our souls to our faithful Creator – just as Jesus did when He suffered (v19; 2:23).
The suffering of Christ in the flesh once again (2:21; 3:18) functions as a model and inspiration for Peter’s readers. Though we live in the flesh, we die to our flesh and worldly passions daily and live rather for the will of God (v2). What kinds of worldly passions do we forsake? Peter lists living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry (v3). When we refuse to participate in these carnal lusts as perhaps we did formerly, we can expect some family and friends still in those behaviors to malign us. However, we do not answer to them and their desires for us; rather, Peter reminds us that our oppressors too will stand before Christ as judge. We draw inspiration to persevere against worldly passions from Christians who faced similar pressure and malalignment but now rest in the spirit with God. Moreover, because “the end of all things is at hand” and Christ’s return is imminent, we live self-controlled and sober-minded, devout in prayer and kingdom-work.
Peter brings his readers once again back to the cross of Christ and the core of the Gospel: Jesus “suffered once for sins, the Righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (v18). How does Jesus through His passion bring us back to God? Through baptism! Peter connects salvation through waters via the ark to our salvation via the waters of baptism. In baptism, through the power of Jesus’ resurrection, we receive a clean conscience before God. In such union with Christ, we share His victory over sin, death, Satan, and the grave.
Christians live as exiles in a world that rejects their message, meaning that they will suffer at times for doing good. In light of this reality, Peter calls us to emulate Christlike virtues at all times – unity of mind; sympathy; brotherly love; tender hearts; humble minds; blessing and not repaying; keeping one’s tongue from evil and deceit; spurning evil for good; honoring Christ the Lord as holy; and being ready to give a defense for our faith in gentleness and respect. As a result of our Christlike demeanor and behavior, opponents who slander, revile, and mistreat us will ultimately be put to shame as their accusations prove groundless.
Peter – who was married himself (Mk 1:30) – turns his attention now to the Christian home itself, particularly to the godly institution of marriage. In Christ, he calls wives to be subject/submissive to their husbands (cf Col 3:18; Titus 2:5). The same word (hupotasso) is used of Jesus to His parents (Lk 2:51); demons to Jesus’ disciples (Lk 10:17, 20); creation to futility (Rom 8:20); all things to Jesus (1 Cor 15:27-28); Christians to each other (Eph 5:21); the church to Christ (Eph 5:24); Christians to God (Ja 4:7); and younger men to elders (1 Pt 5:5). Submission, then, carries the idea of “humble service toward” and “to follow one’s leadership.”
Note how Peter’s eye is especially toward wives with unbelieving husbands; in this case, wives should not pressure husbands into believing but let their godly living testify to the gospel truth (v2).
Moreover, wives should focus on inner beauty (a gentle and quiet spirit) rather than outward adornment, as faithful women have done before them (v3-5).
Likewise, husbands are to live in an understanding way (her needs) and to shower them with honor as “weaker vessels” – never threatening them via physical or verbal abuse – as both are equally heirs of grace and life (v6-7).
What a time for Peter’s hearers then (scattered under increasingly hostile Roman rule) and now (in the midst of another tense election year) to receive these words of Jesus! As citizens in a land that increasingly rejects our gospel message, Peter gives us a fourfold-calling as citizens under earthly governments. First, he calls us to “be subject” to every civil authority as part of God’s will for us (v13-15). Likewise, God establishes earthly governments to (1) punish those who do evil; and (2) to praise those who do good. In this way, both sides serve and bless the other/the community as a whole. Second, Peter assumes that Christians under any government will naturally be those who are “doing good” and thereby “silencing any ignorant, foolish people.” (v15) Third, we are to use our Christian freedom not as a license to sin but to live as servants of God (v16). Fourth, we are to honor fellow citizens as we honor the emperor; in this way we show our fear of God (v17). In all of this, even if we suffer for doing good, God looks graciously upon us and to this Christ left us an example (v20-21).
A frequent image for God (and His Son) in Scripture is both a stone (Heb: ‘eben; Gk: lithos) and a cornerstone. Here, Peter refers to Jesus as both a living stone and a chosen and precious cornerstone. Moreover, he writes that “as we come to Him” – indicating a daily coming to Christ in personal relationship with Him – we too, like living stones, are “being built as a spiritual house” (v5). Peter envisions Christ’s Church as the new temple of God, complete with holy priests and spiritual sacrifices. In this way, believers receive great honor; unbelievers, however, stumble over Jesus as a rock of offense as long as they continue to disobey the Word (v7-8). Our calling as stones in Christ’s temple is to proclaim God’s excellencies; as such, we are the stones that “cry out.”
Peter uses many words here to describe God’s Word: purifier, the truth, rebirthing, living, abiding, word of God, remaining forever, good news, and pure spiritual milk. His desire is that as spiritual exiles in this world, we would crave God’s Word. When we regularly taste how good His Word is, we grow up into salvation and increasingly put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. In other words, God did not give us His Word for information but to effect transformation in us!
Where do you set your hope? Peter calls us to fully set our hope now on the grace to be revealed when Jesus returns. This has been God’s endgame for His children from eternity! Moreover, when we fix our hope each day on the sure and certain Great Day, it changes how we live in the moment. Amidst the lure and pull of this present, evil age, we – as spiritual exiles – live sober-minded and holy lives, distinct from those around us…ever fighting the desires of sin. [Perhaps recall a time when you were in a unique social setting and felt like a complete outcast/outsider who didn’t really belong there.] For in our holy exile (Jesus has called us out of this world so that we do not belong to it anymore), we know that Christ has ransomed us not with silver or gold, but with His precious blood; and He has been raised from the dead and received glory, so that our faith and hope are always in Him.
Peter writes his first letter to a diversity of believers who have been dispersed throughout Roman provinces in Asia Minor. While many Christians were literal exiles in the Greco-Roman world, Peter especially has in mind “spiritual exiles” who are awaiting their heavenly inheritance. He encourages his readers then/now to endure suffering and hardship by standing steadfast in Christ. Peter reminds us from the start that the God who has called us, given us His Spirit, sprinkled us with Jesus’ blood, and rebirthed us into a living hope via His great mercy (vs3), is the same God who continues to guard us by His power for the salvation to be revealed on the last day. Hence, whatever our earthly trials, we rejoice; and though our faith be tested by fire here, we know that our faith will culminate in the salvation of our souls.
This section of Hebrews 11 continues the long list of OT believers who accomplished great feats through their faith in the LORD & His coming Messiah. The author draws our attention to the stories of “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets – who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection….” Our faith in Jesus wields the same power, and today we celebrate the faith-story of one such daughter of the King.
This portion dovetails the preceding by noting: “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they [the siblings] gave a dinner for Him there.” Mary, Martha, and Lazarus respond to Jesus’ transformation work with gratitude and generosity. We can only imagine the extravagance of this banquet feast, for the brother who was 4-days dead lives. In yet another grateful act of worship, during the meal Mary takes a very large amount of fragrant oil and anoints Jesus’ feet…so much so that the aroma fills the house. Given what Jesus meant to this family pre-Lazarus and post, Mary’s anointing was not a spontaneous act but an offering she had set aside for this very purpose. Gratitude and generosity mark a transformed life. When we experience Jesus’ transformation ourselves – something beyond our own ability to effect or manufacture – a posture of gratitude and sacrifice is our faith-response too. Ordinary people give in extraordinary ways when Christ has touched their heart.
In today’s text, we see the rippling effect from Jesus' resurrection of Lazarus. Many of the Jews who had come with Mary saw plainly what Jesus did and believed in Him. As we can imagine, word based on irrefutable proof spread rapidly, so much so that a large crowd of Jews came “to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead” (v9) … and “were going away and believing in Jesus” (v11). Here we see an important principle: transformation flourishes in community. Lazarus’ new life impacted the crowd. One person’s transformation by Jesus inspires others, and so does yours! The Bible is full – not with trophies of transformation that few can attain – but with ordinary men and women who exemplify God’s transformative work in their lives as they do life in community with other believers. Today more than ever, we need each other to move forward in our spiritual life – to show up for each other, to reach out, to help one another on this journey of transformation with Jesus. A community that’s conducive for transformation provides a safe space to share stories, embodies grace and truth, and practices acceptance. We form a circle of resurrected people with the same desire to know Jesus more.
The stone rolled away from Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus prays to His Father, crying out with a loud voice: “Lazarus, come out.” And the man who had died came out.
John emphasized throughout the story Jesus’ love for Lazarus: “Lord, the one you love is sick” (v3); “Jesus loved…Lazarus” (v5); “See how Jesus loved him” (v36). The love of Jesus speaks, acts, and transforms a person – not power, information, or personal efforts. Yet as Henri Nouwen says, we live in a “world filled with voices that shout: ‘You are no good; you are ugly; you are worthless; you are despicable; you are nobody.’” We hear plenty of internal voices too, inner words filled with self-rejection, fear, guilt, shame, and disappointment. Only the voice of Jesus is life-giving! “Lazarus, come out!” The more we get to know Jesus, the easier it becomes to hear His voice where there is no shortage of powerful, charismatic, and other influential voices. Daily, keep coming back to His voice. He alone is the first word to us and the last word to us – The Voice of Love.
In today’s portion, Mary runs out of their house to meet Jesus where Martha had met Him. The Jews who were there consoling Mary and Martha followed her. Jesus asks to see where they have laid Lazarus, and there He weeps. Through His weeping the gathered see the depth of Jesus’ love for Lazarus. John describes the tomb as a cave with a stone laying against it. In astonishment, Jesus commands them to remove the stone. Martha raises concern about the strength of odor, for he had been dead four days. (p95-111) Jesus answers Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So the people take away the stone.
Whether you find yourself in grief, disappointment, shame, brokenness, doubt, fear, worry, burnout – or a dead man in a remote tomb outside a small village called Bethany, Jesus can transform anyone at any time in any circumstance! “Take the stone away.”
Are you longing for something different from the life you’ve been living so far? Tired of keeping external appearances up to hide internal pain from others? Ready to surrender personal efforts to control sin (i.e., “sin management”...p15-21) ? Jesus can help.
Admittedly, we usually hear today’s words when we gather around a freshly dug graveside. The pastor speaks: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.” (v25) However, these words are not meant for the dead but for the living. We need the story of Lazarus to bring hope to our weary lives, to experience the transformation that we long for most. In our text, Jesus finally arrives in Bethany some four days after Lazarus has died. When Martha comes out to meet Jesus, He comforts her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live…. Do you believe this?” Martha answered, “Yes, Lord; I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Though this sister is neck-deep in grief and sorrow, she holds onto the firm hope that her brother will rise to eternal life – to full and complete transformation – on the last day. We carry Martha’s ultimate hope of resurrection and transformation into our storms of life too.
The lingering Jesus didn’t just cut it close; He didn’t make it in time. In the extra days that Mary and Martha waited for Jesus, their brother Lazarus died. Their deepest fear and concern had become reality. We know what it’s like to sit with life’s losses too: a divorce, diagnosis, church split, job loss, death of a family member, shattered dream, memory of past abuse. With Jesus, however, even the greatest losses in life become fertile ground for change, for Jesus can use any circumstance, tragedy, or hurting heart as an instrument to transform us. Jesus told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” (v11) With Jesus, graves are not the end but places where resurrection takes place. In light of this truth, dare we welcome hardships and losses as prime opportunities/fertile ground for Jesus to work His transformation in us? (p50-67)
Today’s portion of Lazarus’ story comes with a surprising twist. Mary and Martha send word to Jesus that their brother is quite ill. In their word to Jesus the sisters even remind Jesus that Lazarus is “the one You love.” Clearly, the sisters hope, even assume that Jesus will come. Jesus, however, doesn’t go into rapid response mode, drop what He’s doing, and come to the rescue; rather, He stays right where He is for two more days. Jesus doesn’t show up in their greatest moment of need. While we have the advantage of knowing that Jesus does show up – eventually, His timing reminds us that Jesus never guarantees that things will work out when and as we desire. Where is Jesus? Why doesn’t He come sooner? In our text, Mary and Martha’s action reveals how we are to respond when Jesus seems to tarry; in an expression of faith, they send word to Jesus. In our own circumstances and seasons of “waiting on Jesus,” we too live by faith. Such waiting (i.e., the in-between time) plays an essential part in transformation. By faith in Jesus and His perfect timing and ways, we relinquish control, surrender our wills, and lay down unholy entitlements. Even when we don’t have answers, we can hold on to the things that we know ARE true: we are deeply loved by Jesus & He is in perfect control. And the times when God seems most absent can be the times when we get to know Him best…moments when God births new hope in us, a hope in who He is, not a hope in who we want Him to be. And we have His promise in Philippians 1:6 that “He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We begin a new 8-week series digging into the story of Lazarus in John 11-12. These verses speak to longings and breakthroughs, unmet expectations and disillusionment with God, the highest goal of God’s glory and clinging to hope in hard times. These are all facets of transformation. In today’s portion, Lazarus needs just that. The beloved brother of Mary and Martha is ill. We do not know what kind of sickness befell Lazarus, only that it is desperate enough to warrant his sisters sending word to Jesus of his illness…a clear cry for Jesus’ help. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus brings and effects real transformation. He transforms water into wine, a Samaritan village to faith, an invalid for 38 years to full mobility, a handful of bread and fish feeds to a feast, a man born blind to full sight, and His own grave stands empty to this day. As people who desperately need transformation – physical, mental, and always spiritual – genuine change can only be found in Jesus. Jesus’ work of transformation in us, however, is never easy and quite messy (p95-111) as we open up past hurts, current struggles, and future fears to His healing. Moreover, Jesus’ transformation can be dangerous (p181-182). Friends and loved ones might not welcome our letting go of old habits, breaking free from addictions, or changing our behaviors and ways. Real transformation comes with varying degrees of rejection, grief, loneliness, trials, and woes, but all-the-while Jesus is leading us to a more full and abundant life in Him.
From prominence to ash heap, Job needed a strong hand guiding him and a tender heart loving him. Like Job, we are not insulated from life’s tragedies, but neither are we intimidated by them. In the middle of the broken pieces, Job cries out, “I know that my Redeemer lives!” These words mean that we have someone to walk with us through life’s long, dark, winding halls. Granted, there are many things surrounding our hardships that we simply don’t know, but what we DO KNOW is that on this day of resurrection our Redeemer truly lives! No matter what our dark hallway looks like and what our circles are saying, we do not walk alone. And why is that? “He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Jesus, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives!’”
For thirty-five chapters in the book of Job, Job cries out; his three friends speculate; and God … He remains silent. The LORD doesn’t speak a single word. In Job 38:1, however, the hidden God becomes the revealed God and what He reveals is powerful. “Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm.” Job does not receive an explanation from God as to the why, when, or what of his suffering; rather, he/we receive a revelation of God – who our ever-orchestrating God is. Through what will become a string of 70 questions from God to Job, the LORD emphasizes His incomprehensible greatness in all things. Through life’s storms, God leads Job and us from an attitude of self-pity and self-assertion in our trials to a place of self-surrender, falling before God in reverence, awe, and humility. We too no longer press God for an explanation, but simply bask in His unfathomable revelation – especially in and through Christ.
Just as we take many individual ingredients when we bake – which by themselves taste nasty – and combine them together to create savory cookies or cinnamon rolls, God is the master at working hardships for good. Job puts it this way: “When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). God desires righteous character, mature Christian faith, and lives marked by depth and compassion. To this end, God takes strange and distasteful events, and He works them together and creates lives of beauty in us. His plan always works for our good and to the Father’s glory. The secret is understanding how it all works together: “When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
We are given only one detail in our text from Job 14:1–17; one small part of a much larger story. But this one part, this one detail, – though it seems odd at first glance – is beautiful and it is enough. In the midst of life’s pieces, Job says, “There is hope for a tree.” (v7) A tree can overcome many hardships, including being cut down and left for dead; it only takes one small sprout. Job continues: “If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.” (v7) We, like Job, know what it’s like to be cut down in life – health, friends, work – and feel left for dead…as with Jesus. But … “there is hope for a tree,” and in v14 Job confesses, “I will wait for my renewal to come.” Jesus brought renewal on Easter. The stump has sprouted, and for us, no matter how broken life seems, it is enough!
Life in this fallen world comes with its fair share of laments: Why did this happen? Where is God in all of this? Will this ever end? Bible characters like Rebekah, Moses, Gideon, and Job have their own laments too, some of which can make us feel uncomfortable. After seven silent days and nights, Job breaks his silence in our text today with several laments (3:11, 12, 23, 25-26); he puts it all out on the table. In this section of Job, we learn to (1) cope with sorrow by going through it; and (2) survive sorrow by looking past it. We look to Jesus who knows what it’s like to lament. Yes, we mourn and sorrow for the night, but Jesus’ resurrection (and ours) turns lamenting into rejoicing.
When Satan goes to work on Job, his life is marked by extraordinary loss. Job loses his wealth, livestock, servants, all of his children, and even his own health. When it rains, it pours! Like Job, we have three choices when hardships befall us. Trials can destroy us, define us, or develop us. Job fell to the ground in worship and declared, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Suffering develops us when in humble faith we surrender our entire selves into the hands of the living God – not in despair or forfeit – but in worship, acceptance, and hope. For no matter what we lose here, we always have God Himself.
In today’s text, we learn valuable insights from the life of Job on how to fly blind. Though a “blameless and upright man who feared God and shunned evil,” Job had no idea what Satan was scheming against him in God’s court; in other words, Job was flying blind. Job’s ensuing suffering, affliction, and loss would prove to be unwarranted, unexpected, and upending, yet the sovereign LORD was with Job and would work through Job’s hardships to deepen his understanding of and faith in Him. We can trust the sovereignty and good purposes of the same God too.
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, Saul of Tarsus was one of the most widely known names around Palestine; however, on the way to Damascus to round up and persecute more Christian men and women, Jesus broke into Saul’s life with the purpose of carrying His name to the Gentiles (Acts 9). Two other times in Acts (22 & 26), Paul shares his Damascus Road story as a testimony to the true gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. Gal 1:11ff). Paul’s conversion and transformation reiterates that (1) no human life is ever too broken, lost, rebellious, or messed up for God’s redemption and use; and (2) one’s story of Christ’s intervention in their life becomes rich fodder for gospel witness to others.
Near the end of Jesus’ dialogue with a Samaritan woman at a well in midday, she leaves her water jar (perhaps because at this point she’s more concerned with living water than natural water), returns to her town, and invites people come see a prophet who is perhaps the Christ (v29). Many townsfolk believe in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony (v39), and they ask Jesus to lodge in their village. Jesus stays with them for two days, and even more people believe in Him and confess: “We know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” When Jesus breaks into her story, her witness compels people to check out Jesus for themselves. Don’t miss the significant point here: the condition of one’s life prior to Christ has no bearing on the potency of one’s ensuing witness to Him; the redemption (and transformation) of a deeply broken past may, in fact, bolster the power of one’s witness all-the-more.
As Jesus continues His ministry of teaching and healing, He travels way north to Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis. A man is brought to Him who is deaf and mute; they beg Jesus to lay His hand on him. Jesus takes the man aside privately, opens his ears, and releases his tongue. Although Jesus charges them to be silent, the healed man and witnesses go forth and continue to proclaim what Jesus had done for the deaf and mute man. Once again, the workings of Jesus then and in our lives/stories today are for proclamation and witness!
On the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, a man with a legion of demons (a Roman legion had 6,000 soldiers) confronts Jesus. Jesus casts the demons into a herd of nearby pigs who then rush down the bank and drown. Understandably, the freed man longs to be with Jesus as a disciple, but Jesus commissions him to return home and declare how much God has done for him. The man does just that; he goes and preaches throughout the whole city how much Jesus has done for him. The man went about his task fervently: he didn’t just narrate, he proclaimed the story! Moreover, not only does the man equate Jesus with God (v39), but Jesus’ words reveal that faith and giving witness to Christ/telling one’s story are inseparable for His disciples.
Envious rulers under King Darius of Persia frame blameless Daniel for breaking a king’s decree which could not be revoked. In accordance with the decree, Darius reluctantly has Daniel cast and sealed in the den of lions, hoping that Daniel’s God would deliver him. Darius returns first thing in the morning and calls to Daniel if the living God has been able to deliver him. Daniel affirms that his God sent His angel to close the lions’ mouths, and he is unharmed. King Darius has the false accusers thrown into the same den and climatically decrees throughout the whole earth that “people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for He is the living God who (1) endures forever; (2) has an eternal dominion; (3) delivers, rescues, and works signs and wonders; and (4) delivered Daniel from the hand of the lions.” [The LORD is the God whose praises can be proclaimed through donkeys, pagans, enemies, and rocks.] As Psalm 138:4-5 eschatologically declares, “All kings of earth will praise you, Yahweh…they will sing of the ways of Yahweh, for great is the glory of Yahweh!” Even if not a full-blown testimony born from faith in the Living God, Darius’s words point to the homage that every person - king and littlest - will offer at the last.
Psalm 66 is a thanksgiving song for God’s many works on behalf of His people as a whole, as well as an invitation from one individual within the faith community to come and hear what God has done for him personally! The unknown author cried out to God in prayer from an undisclosed distress, and God gave full attention to his prayer. As a result, this worshiper wants to give witness to God’s continuing and intimate care. We learn from the entirety of this psalm the biblical habit of seeing the hand of God in all life-events, which makes suffering and hardship as meaningful as His deliverance. Moreover, because the wording of this psalm is general in nature, we can readily apply it to our struggles today. We too can cry out to God and know that He is pleased to hear and deliver us.
Do you believe that Christmas joy is real? And do you believe that such Christmas joy is not just for other people but also for you? The holidays are not always holly, jolly, and bright, but real people face real hardships, uncertainties, and doubts. How can Paul say in a blanket way: “Rejoice evermore?” Paul knew the angelic announcement in the Bethlehem skies: “I bring you good news of great joy for all the people!” Jesus came to rescue our wretchedness, forgive our filth, and heal our hurts. From His cross and empty tomb, He freely gives unlimited, undiminished, unending joy! The joy of Jesus stems the tide of gloom and despair, brings confidence in the midst of confusion, hope in the midst of uncertainty, and calm in the midst of current storms. Christmas means we can rejoice evermore!
Have you ever been stuck on standby for a flight? Will I have a seat or not? Will I get to the conference, loved one, or resort on time? Oh to have the confirmation and guarantee! In today’s text, Paul assures us that we actually do! Our departure in Christ (and all loved ones in Him) has already been confirmed through our belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Moreover, our return with Christ is booked too when He comes back to judge the living and the dead. We’ve “got a ticket to ride” and so we will always be with the Lord. Paul calls us to regularly encourage one another with these words.
The holidays can be blue, difficult, lonely, and dark for others and for ourselves. What can we do when people we dearly love are caught in the midst of great pain and loss? When their world caves in? In short, we can imitate Paul and pray. As the Thessalonians were suffering much, Paul prays for them: (1) to grow in faith; (2) to abound in love; and (3) to become secure in hope. Prayer reminds us to see the bigger picture of the God who continues to work for us in Christ, the same Christ who is coming back to restore all that has been lost.
1 Thessalonians is a book that has a lot in common with football’s two- minute warning. In it, Paul repeatedly says that world history is almost over (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13–18; 5:1–10). Time is short. We must prepare and implement our two-minute drill. What does this look like for Christians? In our text, Paul teaches us to: (1) rest in grace; (2) witness to others; (3) turn from any idols; and (4) wait patiently for Christ. When time is short, we are compelled to focus on what truly matters most!
Jesus’ audience for this parable includes His disciples (v1) and the Pharisees (v14). The setting is a rich man who audits his dishonest estate manager before firing him. In desperation, the manager acts to secure his financial future by making friends with those who might be future employers; he grants borrowers unexpected debt relief…after all, he’s technically fired and has nothing more to lose with the rich man. The estate owner actually commends the manager for his financial foresight given his looming dismissal. Jesus then transitions into textual application, calling His disciples to be opportunists and generous (i.e., faithful) with earthly mammon in service to His kingdom and to people in need. Everything “we have” really comes from and belongs to God anyways; we are simply managers entrusted with the proper use of His goods. The reality: none of us can serve two masters – both God and earthly mammon, for every human heart only has seating for one.
Given Jesus’ ensuing words in Luke 12, the disciples respond inwardly to His words about the rich fool and dangers of wealth with anxiety and fear about their own daily needs. Jesus then tells His disciples to stop being anxious about their daily bread. Why? For (1) life is more than possessions; (2) worry is not constructive in any way, shape, or form; and (3) the Heavenly Father - who nurtures birds and flowers - loves us even more and delights Himself to give us His own kingdom! If the Father delights to give us the kingdom, will He not also grant us daily bread? Jesus’ words here summon us to faith in His tender care and provision, which in turn loosens our grip on earthly possessions to bless others, which in turn lays up lasting treasures in heaven. In this way, one’s treasure in this life is revelatory of his heart – the center of human thought, feelings, and will in Hebraic thought. Our treasure, what we truly value most, determines what we do with our time, money, and resources. For followers of Jesus, faith – not financial worry – characterizes them as they seek His kingdom above all else.
Intro the series with the thought that following Jesus is not a Christian cafeteria where we get to pick and choose where we want to follow Jesus - including what we’d rather “leave off our tray”...you know, just “the essentials” (cf. Great Commission “teaching all that I have commanded you.” And clearly, Jesus taught extensively on finances and possessions . Hence, we are going to spend the next three weekends in Luke as we talk about following Jesus financially. In Luke 12, Jesus highlights our great value to His Father…He knows the hairs on our heads, and the same Father who does not forget one sparrow will see to our true needs too. In this context, someone from the large crowd (1000s trampling each other vs1) wants Jesus to enforce his share of the family’s inheritance, likely from a heart of greed. Jesus uses this opportunity to strictly warn all of His followers against greed and mass possessions. This teaching is so important that Jesus adds a reinforcing parable about a foolish man who built more and bigger barns, yet died and left it all behind – including all his grandiose, self-centered retirement plans. He spent his life being rich towards himself rather than towards God. Jesus does not prohibit wealth; in fact, He all-in about being rich…in respect to God and His kingdom. Moreover, His words underline the seductive lure and eternal dangers that wealth can bring.
Without bread in ancient Palestine, a person would not survive for long. Bread was a primary staple. Made from a variety of grains (barley for the poor and wheat for those better off), bread was baked daily…usually in small, round loaves that looked more like rolls or buns, not like the larger loaves we eat today. As Jesus was teaching a large crowd of people, He took 5 barley loaves and fed about 5,000 in number who ate their fill! The next day, as the crowds searched for Jesus again (desiring another meal), Jesus said, “Stop laboring for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you…I am the Artos Zoes “the Bread of Life,” whoever comes to Me will never hunger…everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” On this All Saints’ weekend, we, too, feast on the Bread which endures to eternal life as those who have gone before us, in the certainty of the resurrection to eternal life.
An angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph and said of his betrothed (Mary): “She will bear a son, and you will call His name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins…[as] the LORD spoke through the prophet: ‘The virgin…will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, God with us.” Immanuel is one of the most comforting names of Jesus. When our sins made it impossible for us to come to Him, God came to us in full human form to be our substitute under the penalty of sin and death. In Jesus we see how extreme God’s love for us is. Jesus did not shed the name Immanuel after His cross, resurrection, and ascension, He is still your Immanuel. Hold on to this whenever you feel discouraged, abandoned, tempted, anxious, hardpressed, overwhelmed, fearful, or at a crossroad...Jesus is Immanuel!
When the LORD began to speak through the prophet Hosea, He told him to marry an adulterous wife (Gomer)…symbolic of Israel’s vilest adultery in her relationship with the LORD. The LORD then declares, “In that day, you will call me Ishi (my Husband); you will no longer call me ‘my master’....I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.” God’s passionate love for Israel is reflected in the name Ishi “husband.” God is pictured as the perfect husband to His people – loving, forgiving, faithful, providing, and protecting. As a zealous God, He desires nothing short of a monogamous relationship with us. We, however, prove an unfaithful bride to Him again and again, yet His marital commitment to us runs so deep that He sent us a forever Bridegroom – Jesus Christ. He is our Faithful Provider who keeps us in Him until the day of “the wedding supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9), meaning you are His beautiful, redeemed, set apart bride!
The names Yahweh (LORD) and Elohim (God) often occur with tsebaoth “army” or “host” meaning “the LORD of armies/hosts” [240x in the OT]...the God who commands armies and fights for His people! In today’s reading, young David drew near to the champion Goliath with a shepherd’s sling and 5 stones (from a wadi). The Philistine ridiculed David and said he’d make pieces of him. David replied, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; I come to you in the name of the LORD of Hosts (Yahweh Tsebaoth), the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand….” David didn’t face Goliath with the latest technology or newest weapon; God’s name was enough. Yahweh Tsebaoth is a title of great power. In Scripture, God’s “hosts/armies” include the armies of Israel (here); heavenly bodies/luminaries (Dt. 4:19; Isa 40:26); angelic beings (Josh 5:14); and the created order (Gen 2:1) – all these worship the LORD and do His bidding. Yahweh Tsebaoth affirms His universal rulership that encompasses every force or army: heavenly, cosmic, and earthly. When captured in all of its thrust, Yahweh Tsebaoth is a most exalted title…the supreme and truly glorious King (Ps 24:9ff)! One day all kingdoms and nations will publicly acknowledge His complete authority, lordship, and reign.
The word Shaddai, which often occurs with El, is used independently as a name for God. Twenty-four years have now passed since God’s promise to make Abram a great nation; 99 years old now (and Sarai 89), God appears to Abram, reveals Himself “I am El Shaddai,” promises to make him exceedingly fruitful from whom kings will also come, to forever be in a covenant relationship with his descendants, and He renames them Abraham and Sarah. Shaddai is often translated “Almighty,” but the Hebrew root "shadad" from which it is likely derived means “to overpower.” Another interesting suggestion is that it may be connected with the Assyrian mountain Shadu, meaning the Hebrews took a name representing a mountain to express their understanding about the strength of their God. He is the God of overpowering strength…for whom nothing is impossible (He is OP)! Shaddai occurs 31x in Job, and 17x in the rest of the First Testament. The Hebrew NT uses Shaddai 1x in reference to the God who will bring a Savior from Mary’s womb!
Ten years had passed since God called Abram and promised him many descendants. After such, Sarai, being unable to bear children to Abram, gives her Egyptian servant, Hagar, to him as a wife. Hagar conceives with Abram, yet Sarai begins to look on Hagar with contempt and treat her harshly, so much so that Hagar flees to the wilderness - alone, scared, and pregnant. The angel of the LORD finds Hagar by a spring of water and calls her by name; He tells her to return to Sarai and be submissive to her…promising that He will greatly multiply her offspring. The angel of the LORD gives a gender reveal and names her unborn child “Ishmael,” meaning God hears. This Egyptian maidservant then calls the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are El Ro’i “a God who sees me.” She exclaims: “Have I also seen here the One who sees me?” The well there is called: Beer Lahai Ro’i “the well of the Living One who sees me.” This is the only occurrence of El Ro’i in Scripture. In the midst of difficulties, Hagar encounters the God who sees her. This same God sees Nathaniel and says, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” to which Nathaniel confesses, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (cf. Ps 33:18; 1 Peter 3:12)
After God worked a majestic deliverance for Abram and his 318 trained men traversed 240 miles – rescuing Lot, women, and people from enemy captors, Melchizedek (king of Salam and priest of God Most High) blesses both Abram and God Himself in the name of El Elyon (God Most High).
When used with God, El means “highest” or “exalted one.” Elyon was the title given to the top Canaanite god and was appropriated by the Hebrews as a title for Yahweh to express their understanding that their God was the highest and the most in every aspect of life. It is the LORD who is the highest in every realm of life.
When El Elyon enters the fight, as He did via Abram, He truly is the Most High over all in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
In the NT, Jesus is known as “the Son of the Most High” (Lk 1:32) and the Holy Spirit is the power of the “Most High” (Lk 1:35). Moreover, all who belong to Christ are revealed as “sons and daughters of the Most High” (Lk 6:35).
When we praise El Elyon, we worship the God whose power, mercy, and sovereignty cannot be matched. He calls the shots. He has the first and final say. No one else is higher than El Elyon. Call on His name!
Why is it important for us to know our God by name? We can know someone’s name without really knowing who they are or what they are like. Each of God’s names reveals a defining quality of His nature, character, identity, and essence – often revealed to His people in a special moment of need, crisis, or blessing on their behalf. Hence, God’s identity is expressed not just in one name but in many. Each name of God is like a curtain on a window; when the curtain is drawn back, the name becomes more fully known and a greater glimpse of God seen. Elohim is a common name of God, used 32x in Genesis 1 alone & 2,500x in the OT. Elohim conveys God’s creative power, authority, and sovereignty. It is mostly used for God in plural form, denoting the plural of majesty, excellence, dignity, and greatness in the Godhead. Genesis 2 uses only the compound name: Yahweh Elohim. Yahweh [the tetragrammaton or “the four letters” Yhwh ] is the sacred, distinctive, personal name of God (The LORD) – used +6,800x in the OT – especially linked to His redeeming acts for His people (Lk 1:68). It appears in every book except Esther, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. The name is so sacred that eventually only priests spoke it aloud while worshiping in the Jerusalem temple. After the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, the Name was not pronounced at all. Adonay is spoken instead. “Yahweh” translates “He is,” “He will be,” or even “He lives” (from the root “to blow/breathe”). It means, “He who is self-existing, self-sufficient” or “He who lives.” He is the everliving God, the source and author of all life. The true God, with no beginning and no end. He always was, He is right now, and He always will be. Yahweh God is not remote or aloof but One who is always near, intervening in salvation history on behalf of His people. To know and call upon the name of the LORD God implies a personal, covenant relationship with Him. Yahweh God has real-life power for us today (cf. Ps 91; 15; 124:8; Prov 18:10; Isa 50:10; Rom 10:13). In fact, in John 20, both “LORD” and “God” are used of our resurrected Jesus (cf. Rev 1:8)!
Jesus never lost sight of His clear purpose to redeem and restore sinful humanity through His death and resurrection… AND He invites us to continue that work! Our job is clear: Go make disciples! Or, said a little differently: Lead People to a Full Life in Christ (John 10:10)! There is no Plan B or backup strategy if we don’t get around to it. We are God’s only plan for telling the whole world about Him: YOU AND ME! Ok, no pressure right!?! Don’t worry. When we look at the ways of Jesus, He led with relationship when sharing His Good News. We can trust, like Jesus did, that God has a plan for us and that God goes before us preparing the harvest. Jesus is already at work in every interaction and potential relationship, preparing people to be in a relationship with us and their hearts to hear about Jesus, who is in us. There is little-to-no arguing nor heated debates when you share Jesus with people God has prepared and placed in your life. These people God is preparing are peaceful to you, and you are peaceful to them. What good news!
Somehow we’ve lost our way, and we’ve led the world to believe that church is only about religion and adherence to a set of beliefs. We’ve given judgment more than grace. We’ve not led with relationships as we see Jesus doing in Luke 6. This is not what Jesus had in mind or how He lived. Yes, Scripture is quite clear about God’s best for our lives, and Jesus has a lot to say about sin. However, when we see Jesus interacting with people who are on the fringes of society or not yet believers, we see Him acting with more love and compassion than with judgment. Meaningful relationships free of snap judgments should be a natural place of strength for people who follow Jesus. Church is founded on an idea of belonging before behaving - a place where everyone is welcome and grace extended to all. Yet sometimes, we’ve allowed moralism to create a list of prerequisites which must be met before relationships can be built. It’s like we are saying, “You have to behave before you belong.” Jesus, help us to see everyone as You do.
Jesus understood that we were created to be in relationship with others. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see that community was always central to what He did and how he spent His time. His entire ministry on earth was done WITH a core group of women and men. He spends time with them on the road as they travel, eating around a campfire, sharing stories, getting to know their families. He spends so much time with them, in fact, that He actually recreates Himself inside of them. This is done through encouragement and accountability, “I love you no matter what! But, I love you too much to let you stay the same!” Who is encouraging you to walk closer with Jesus? Who is holding you accountable to following Him?
Today we’ll take a closer look at Jesus' relationship with His Father (UP). We’ll see that Jesus prioritizes daily intimacy with God even when things around Him are busy and demanding. He does this joyfully because He knows it’s the place where He receives unconditional love from His Father, plus affirmation of His identity, purpose, and power for His earthly mission. When we spend time abiding UP with our Heavenly Father, we too receive our identity as dearly loved daughters and sons of the King, direction in life, and the power to do what He calls us to do.
As followers of Jesus, we follow both His words and Ways. Often though we spend our time studying and learning the words of Jesus and forget to model our lives after the way He lived. If we want to live a Full Life in Christ and See Lives and Communities Transformed as We Become More Like Jesus (our mission and vision), we need to model our lives after the way He lived His life. Jesus lives what we call an “Integrated Life.” We’ll use the shape of a triangle as a visual aid to help us remember what we see in Scripture: Jesus prioritizes an abiding relationship with His Heavenly Father (UP); an intimate relationship with other believers where encouragement and challenge are central (IN); and a relationship of love and compassion with those who did not yet know Him (OUT). Through these relationships we see the love Jesus has for us and His desire for us to participate in bringing that love to the whole world.
John makes heavy use of the Greek word “to know” (oida) in his Gospel (84x) and epistles (15x in 1 Jn & 1x in 3 Jn) [for 100 of the 294x in the NT]. Oida is not just to “know of” or to “know about,” but to know intimately, deeply, and assuredly. In these final 9 verses of 1 John, oida is used 6x! John leaves us with four assurances and certainties in our walk with Jesus, we know that: (1) we have eternal life; (2) we have whatever request we ask of Him; (3) in our battle against sin, we have Christ’s protection and the evil one cannot touch us; and (4) the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, but WE are from God!
While John has spoken much of love and obedience as fruit of faith, now he underscores faith itself, summoning readers to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Moreover, everyone who wholeheartedly trusts in the saving work of Jesus Christ has (1) been born of God; (2) overcome the world; and (3) received the gift of eternal life. This Gospel testimony of Jesus’ salvific work in flesh and blood is not really John’s eyewitness account (e.g. man’s testimony) though it is, but this testimony concerning Jesus comes from God Himself. Thus, to believe this testimony about Jesus is to accept God’s very message to us; to reject this testimony is to make God a liar.
Many verses in today’s text could be punctuated with exclamation points, for they shout the essence of the Gospel and Christianity: God is love! What is love? What does it mean to say: “I love you”? God forever displayed the depth of His love for us when He sent His only Son into the world, so that we might enjoy full life in Him (v9). The root, then, of love is not our love for God, but His great love for us – even sending His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (v11). And God’s love is nothing short of transformational…for if God so loved us, we walk in the power of His love with one another. In this way, His love is perfected in us unto judgment day, a day of confidence for us, for power of His love has stripped that Day of all fear.
John makes strong statements in today’s section, yet in truth, the apostle writes the most loving words he could possibly write. Our Christian walk is a warzone. Evil spirits working through false prophets propagate lies unceasingly…and with great success, for the world is listening to them. Christianity, however, is not spiritual gullibility; rather, we have received a clear, doctrinal standard to cut through such deceit: Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and He is God the Son. We are from God. Therefore, as we walk with Jesus, we listen to John and the other biblical witnesses concerning Him. Those who belong to the world reject the testimony we have in Scripture. One’s response to Scripture, then, reveals which spirit they are following/listening and walking to: either the Spirit of truth or the spirit of error.
Many movies, video games, and tv shows have a fascination with zombies. Zombies feel nothing, sense little, lack wisdom, can’t awaken themselves, and are void of any capacity to love. Praise God that in His grace Jesus laid down His life for us, and by His Spirit, we have passed out of death into life…full life in Christ! To walk with Jesus now is to reorient our entire lives around His love and to begin to love more and more as He loves. Christlike love, however, is not an empty word, idle talk, or fuzzy feelings. Christian love is a verb! To love as Jesus loves is to love in deed and in truth, to see or hear a need and to respond, to take action, to be the remedy ourselves.
What’s your favorite form of identification: driver’s license, passport, work ID, school ID, police badge, club member, AARP, VIP pass, other? Today’s text centers on our newfound identity. In the greatest display of the Father’s love, WE are called “children of God!” Just as a normal ID comes with its privileges (e.g., driving, discount shopping, access, etc.), being “children of God” means that (1) the world does not know us; (2) we will be like Him when He appears; (3) we will see Him as He is; (4) we no longer make it a practice of sinning; (5) we are born of God; and (6) we practice righteousness.
As we continue our walk in 1 John, a recurring pattern in this epistle emerges: John weaves in and out of warning and assurance. Because we live in the end times (v18 “the last hour” - 2x), we walk among antichrists. Antichrists arise from within the church; deny the Father and His Son; do the bidding of the evil one; and work to lead Christians astray. We, however, have been “anointed by the Holy One” [the Holy Spirit] (v20) who leads us and teaches us in God’s truth. John summons believers, then, to abide in the gospel they’ve received, for in this way we abide in the Son and in the Father and on the sole path to eternal life.
What did John hear in Jesus’ presence? God is light and in Him is no darkness at all! To know God in Christ is to walk in His light, and for us to walk in His very light means that we have (1) fellowship with one another; and (2) the total, blood-washed cleansing of our sins and His continued advocacy before our Father in heaven! The path isn’t always smooth. Even the first-century church saw its fellowship disrupted by hypocrisy, greed, selfishness, and spiritual opposition, but our path is clearly lit and we walk in close proximity with fellow believers the entire way.
One person who came to know Jesus very well and walked with Him throughout His earthly ministry is the apostle John. By Jesus’ choosing and grace, John was there. He witnessed Jesus at the wedding at Cana; feeding 5,000; walking on water; transfiguration; raising of Lazarus; Jesus washed his feet; at the cross; outran Peter to empty tomb and went in after Peter did; Jesus appeared to 10; and he saw Him ascend back to heaven). We can trust John as a guide with Jesus. John begins his letter affirming that he “heard,” “saw,” “looked upon,” and “touched” Jesus with his own hands. Moreover, John writes this epistle for our sake so that (1) we may have fellowship with the early believers, whose own fellowship included the Father and His Son Jesus; and (2) we have fullness of joy in Jesus. In a related way, Martin Luther said, “I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my Guide.”
How do we understand what might be called ‘miraculous’ or ‘supernatural’ gifts/manifestations of God’s grace – given freely by God out of the sheer generosity of His divine grace? First, we cannot assume that the lists of spiritual gifts in the NT are definitive or exhaustive; the Holy Spirit may remove gifts or add new gifts as needs arise within the church and as He wills. Second, while the “carnal” Corinthians esteemed certain gifts more than others, in 1 Cor12 Paul does not draw sharp distinctions between “miraculous” and “non-miraculous” gifts. Every gift is first and foremost a gift of grace, not a “right” or a “reward.” Third, the gifts sometimes deemed “supernatural manifestations of the Spirit” include the following: ‘heroic’ faith; gifts of healings; the workings of miracles/powers; prophecy; distinguishing between spirits; various kinds of tongues; and interpretation of tongues (CTCR, 33-35). Fourth, the emphasis in Scripture is never on the people who received these gifts, but simply on the presence of these gifts in the Christian community by the Spirit’s doing. Whatever one’s divine-gifting, the overarching principle for all gifts is love. Without love, any spiritual gift is worthless. The more excellent way, Paul says, is to bear our gifts with love. Love is the supreme attribute because it abides.
How can I best put my spiritual gift/s to use? Peter explains that part of “loving one another earnestly” means using our gifts to serve one another. The Holy Spirit’s plan at conversion was not to make us fortunate receivers of God’s varied grace, but to make us generous givers! How is St. Peter encouraging and empowering men and women generationally in our worship community to be generous with their giftings and in multiplying gifts in others? What discipleship needs to be offered regarding how gifts are utilized for God or for others? How can we celebrate the use of gifts outside church walls? We can encourage believers to (1) connect to smaller groups/charities where their passions and gifts can be put to use; (2) use their giftedness to enthusiastically serve the church – not because we’re desperate to fill holes, but because their gifting actually helps build up Christ’s church; (3) bless their neighborhood/local community as God wants to use us and our gifts in His mission to redeem and restore communities and draw people into His kingdom; and (4) think through your spheres of influence and relational circles (including immediately family, friends, coworkers, etc.) and pray for God to show us opportunities to live generously with our spiritual gifts. When we unleash our giftedness, we join Jesus in His mission. In doing so, we build up His church, bring hope to local communities and missions, help people find a relationship with God, deepen our own faith, and live out His purpose for us.
As with moms and mother-figures, every person is a gift from God with gifts to share, and this is more than simple sentiment. Part of the beauty of the kingdom of God is that it’s not just a few, select people endowed with special gifts. In God’s kingdom, every Christian receives a spiritual gift, gifts that complement – NOT compete with – each other. Once again, Paul utilizes the body metaphor to teach us about our spiritual gifts (vv4-5). As the human body has many individual parts, no single person or group can provide everything the church or local congregation needs for wellness and growth; rather, different spiritual gifts are needed for different functions in different contexts. That’s why the Holy Spirit showers Christ’s church with gifts. The fun part comes in discovering our gifts and how to be intentional with them for the kingdom of God. What does intentionality look like? (1) Be with Christ daily; (2) understand my gifting; (3) refuse to envy other gifts; (4) pray for discernment when to use my gift; and (5) pray for eagerness to develop my gift. As we transition from awareness to intentionality with our giftings (vv6-8), our own gifts are strengthened, families served, Christ’s church edified, and communities positively impacted and blessed.
Spiritual gifts are expressions of grace the Holy Spirit gives each believer to serve and build up Christ’s church on earth. As such, your spiritual gift reveals your divine purpose. Scripture notes a variety of gifts, yet no gift is more or less important than any other. There is no pecking order between wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, and tongues on the one hand, or between helping, administrating, teaching, serving, giving, leading, or acts of mercy on the other. Paul briefly unpacks some spiritual gifts in today’s text, and we’ll touch on the same (CTCR, p24 for number of gifts). Just because a Christian might not know his/her spiritual gift, does not mean he/she doesn’t have one. Rather, as stewards of God’s varied grace, we work to cultivate an awareness of our gifting so that we can be intentional to develop and generous to deploy them. Christ uses our giftings to be His hands, feet, and mouth for the common good. Moreover, using our gifts for God’s glory is highly satisfying because when we use them, we’re doing the very thing we were reborn to do.
Does every Christian have a spiritual gift? The short answer is yes. Spiritual gifts are expressions of grace the Holy Spirit gives believers to serve and build up Christ’s church on earth. In our text, Paul compares the church to a human body. Just as the human body is one entity with many fabulous parts contributing to the whole, so the one body of Christ is made of many members – each Christian receiving an indispensable spiritual gift with which to serve the whole. The body of Christ is not to be like a bus, where passengers sit quietly in their seats and someone else does all the driving; rather, Christ’s body is an anthill – every person at work for the whole.
God did not design us to live in isolation but in communion with people and creation. He gave us natural gifts and abilities to be instruments of blessing for others. In a large way, our giftedness within the network of human relationships/community informs our God-ordained function in life…how we fit in. We begin to see the daily needs around us as God’s calling to be His co-workers in creation. We see this principle throughout Scripture too. God gifted Adam a gardener; Abel a shepherd; Cain a farmer; Jabal a nomadic herder; Jubal a musician; Tubal-cain a forger; James and John fishermen; Lydia a seller of purple goods; Paul a tent-maker; Jesus a carpenter, etc. When we develop and live out our natural talents and abilities, we are doing precisely what God has gifted us to do within the framework of community. Hence, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 God is glorified and His creation served!
All gifting begins with God. Without Him, there’d be nothing to give…period. No people. No earthly resources. Not even the existence of time, history, occasion, or opportunity. Only God would exist, who is ample in and of Himself. Yet because of God’s ginormous heart, that’s not reality anymore. From Genesis to Revelation, God is the Great Giver or Gifter! Literally, everything that now exists comes from His will and doing. And here’s the good news: every gift has two entities – a giver and a receiver. So if God is the Giver, who does that make us? In fact, we could summarize each of the Six Chief Parts in one word: gift. Hence, let’s kick off Gifted For More by celebrating THE GIVER.
For the last six weeks, we have been thinking about the good news we believe as Christians and how to confess it with just seven words. And I’ve got to tell you, you’ve come up with some great confessions [share a few particularly insightful examples from the congregation]. On this Easter morning, let’s craft one more version of the gospel…the significance of Jesus’s victory over the grave using only seven words. When 10 disciples report seeing Jesus alive on Easter evening, Thomas proves the most unyielding skeptic. He refuses in the strongest possible way to believe that Jesus lives; he even puts a demand to God before he will believe for himself. 8 days later, Jesus appears to the 11 again and tells Thomas to put his fingers where his faith should be. The hardness of Thomas’s unbelief melts at the physical sight of Jesus, and Thomas professes Jesus as both Lord and God! Are believers today at any disadvantage from those first witnesses who got to see the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes? Not all all! In fact, Jesus pronounces every person since blessed who believes in Him solely on the basis of their eye-witness testimony. Do YOU believe their witness? Theme: when believing for us is not seeing, yet no less blessed!
Life isn’t as it should be. God’s good creation has been subjected to another master. Another ruler. Another lord. To this lord we all bow in helpless submission. I’m speaking of the dark lord death. It encompasses all people of all times and all places. Despite our most valiant efforts and our most brilliant minds, none of us can outwit or outsmart or outlast death. We will die. Such contemplations make us rightfully uneasy. But on Good Friday, Jesus - through His death - delivered us from the domain of darkness into His light. This means that in Jesus, we’ve already died. We’ve already been delivered. We do not cower or pay homage to the dark lord death. Because of Jesus, we will never experience complete and total separation. And neither have our loved ones who died trusting in the Lord Jesus. Neither they nor we will ever feel the pain and humiliation Jesus suffered on that first Good Friday. Their sins and our sins have already been removed. In Christ’s death, we have already died. And through faith in him, we are already rising at the command of Lord God Almighty. In seven words, “Jesus is Lord, Even Over My Death.”
Hunger is a universal experience. We all understand the need to feed our bodies. Every day, throughout the day, our bodies work hard. They labor, constantly, simply to keep us alive and moving. And because of that work, our bodies constantly need rejuvenation. They constantly need refueling. Our bodies must receive regular and continual nourishment. So do our souls. In his Large Catechism, Martin Luther calls this bite of bread and this sip of wine “food for the soul” (LC, V.23). This “food for the soul” is a different kind of meal. We eat and drink this meal with our mouths. We chew and swallow and digest the bread and wine. But in this meal God promises more than physical nourishment. Listen again to how Matthew described it: “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”
To be a Christian is to be a confessor. It’s a recurring Biblical theme (e.g., Rom 10:9-10; 2 Cor 4:13; 1 Jn 4:13-15, etc.). Christians believe in Jesus, and because they believe, they can’t help but speak of Him before the world. In our gospel text, as Jesus made His way toward Jerusalem on a colt, “the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen” (v37). Some of the Pharisees in the crowd asked Jesus to rebuke His disciples, but Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out!” And such confessing from the hearts and lips of believers will never ever end (e.g., Phil 2:9-11)!
We recognize that we build our lives on very shaky foundations, and then we are surprised when things start collapsing. Jesus reminds us in his teachings that the only solid foundation is himself, the Rock of our salvation. On him alone we build.
“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked the disciples. Peter spoke up on their behalf: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:15–16). It was a good answer. Jesus himself commended it. “Blessed are you, Simon Son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). It’s a good reminder that when we confess the gospel faithfully, it’s not because we are so wise to have figured it out. It’s not because we are so smart or clever. It’s because God has come to us. It’s because God, through his word, has revealed himself to us. Throughout this season of Lent we’ve been thinking about how we would summarize the reason for our hope as Christians. We’ve been preparing ourselves to give an answer, to share the good news of Jesus with people in our lives. After these weeks of Lent, do you feel more prepared? As you think about the people in your life that do not believe, or who have fallen away, are you ready to proclaim what they so badly need to hear? Let’s spend a few minutes reflecting on various responses you have sent in. Next week we’ll celebrate the most important events in history. This would be a great way of explaining to your friends and family and neighbors the reason for Easter.
We recognize that so much of our lives, even in Lent, is spent worrying about what might happen or what has happened. Christ teaches us to stop being anxious, but simply to trust that he knows what is best and will take care of us to the very end.
In seven words, when it’s all said and done, what is the good news of Jesus Christ? Our theme today is one of the most pressing issues in culture: isolation and the need for community. Whether we’re the only person in a house, lost in a crowded room or big family, or not honest about our true number of “likes” or “followers”, we know what it means to feel alone.
The Scriptures have much to say about isolation and community. The psalmist says, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home” (Psalm 68:5–6a).
We consider the gospel in terms of the gracious community into which God places us. We are baptized into Christ and each other. We commune with the Lord as one body around one table. We live together through good times and bad, glorifying God and supporting one another in Christian love and charity. And we look forward to the eternal reunion God has in store for all who believe. How could we summarize this good news? Which seven words shall we choose? Let’s try this: “Jesus refuses to leave His people alone.”
We remember that Lent is a season of prayer and fasting. We grow in our relationship with Christ by communicating with him, and we learn more about him and ourselves by giving up those things that can distract us from our connection to him.
When you hear the word death, what words come to mind? I think of words like separation or pain. I think of finality. I think about the unknown. In John 11, Jesus got up close and personal with the pain, the separation, the grief that accompanies death. His dearly loved friend, Lazarus, fell ill and died, leaving behind two sisters whom Jesus also loved. This death brought Jesus to tears. However, 19x in the Gospel of John we read that Jesus gives life! Real life, abundant life, meaningful life, eternal life…just as He would to Lazarus outside his tomb. In a world that is filled with death, that’s what Jesus came to do. So how shall we put it tonight? Which seven words shall we choose? How about this? “God gives real life in Christ alone.” He gives it freely and fully. Abundantly and eternally. He gives it to us, and he gives it through us.
In this service we remember that Christ calls us to be salt and light in this world of sin. We who have tasted and seen his great love for us on the cross can spend our Lent savoring his salvation and shining with his glory and grace in the places where he has put us.
We know what it means to be captive, to be imprisoned, to live under submission to a foreign “master.” We may live in the land of the free, but we are imprisoned by more insidious masters. Greed. Lust. A desire for more. We suffer from an insatiable longing for more stuff, more pleasure, more recognition, not to mention unhealthy relationships, addictive behaviors, and dead-end jobs we can’t live without. Jesus came to set captives free, to “...proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus frees us from all that imprisons us. Sin, death, despair, selfishness. He has freed us through his life and death and resurrection, and he continues to free us from every single prison, every single master, every single captor. That’s it! Seven words. “Jesus frees us from all our prisons.”
Seven words. That’s it. The point is: we need to be prepared. Being prepared is not my idea. It comes from God: “Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that you have.” In Lent, we’re preparing for Holy Week by preparing to confess the hope we have in Christ. Confessing the gospel begins, in many ways, by acknowledging who we are as confessors. Fragile, yes. Fallen, indeed. Failing, everyday. Sinful, to put it simply. Until people see and understand and believe there is something wrong in us, the idea that Jesus saves won’t mean much. So, the first step in crafting our descriptions of the gospel in seven words is to think about how to convey our universal need for a Savior. That doesn’t have to be the first thing we say, but it needs to be clear. After we’ve communicated the problem, the next step is simple (and joyful)! We preach: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:17–19). “God was in Christ, reconciling the world”... that’s a seven-word summary right there!
Imagine a friend asks you what Christianity is all about, what answer would you give? Author Will Campbell tells the story of how one of his friends badgered him for a succinct definition of Christianity. His friend didn’t want a long, fancy explanation. He wasn’t looking for a laundry list of doctrines or creeds. “I’m not too bright,” his friend said. “Keep it simple. In ten words or less, tell me the Christian message.” In today’s reading, Peter says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Be honest with yourself. Would you stumble around and say, “Well, it’s kind of complicated...” or “You know, I’m not really good at explaining things...” or “Uh, why don’t you come to my church and my pastor will tell you what I believe...” That’s hardly being prepared. Our goal this Lent is to prepare ourselves to confess the hope we have because of Holy Week! For these next six weeks, we’re going to consider how we might confess the gospel to friends, family, and neighbors outside the church; by Easter, the goal is for each of us to craft a personal confession of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we can give as the reason for our hope.
There’s a massive difference in life between simply knowing of God or knowing about God…and actually knowing God. Our greatest offense against the evil one to break free and live from our freedom in Christ is to know God deeply, closely, and richly; to gaze upon His glory; to be captivated by who He is; to bask in His goodness; to focus firmly on Jesus. To know Jesus more, He invites us “to climb His mountain” and linger with Him in word, in supper, and in prayer. Jesus wants to move us above the treeline of just knowing facts and information about Jesus…to intimate knowledge of Him where we can explore His grace, His love, His nature, His attributes, His mercy, His holiness, etc. And here’s the thing: as with any mountain, the higher we climb His mountain, the grandeur the view!
Even after repentance and forgiveness, the Enemy does all he can to take us on a trip…a guilt trip. Let’s face it, it’s far too easy to jump on his cruise and dwell again on all the ugly details and doubt God’s forgiving and forgetting. It’s time to jump Satan’s ship for the lifeboat of God’s grace!
The angel declared to Isaiah, “Your guilt is taken away” (v7). Grace isn’t some soft, ethereal, flimsy entity; grace has grit, backbone, muscle. Grace is God’s right hook that destroys guilt’s power. The One in whom no guilt was ever found, carried our guilt for us so that we could live guilt free!
Archbishop Joseph Ochola Omolo from the Free Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya speaks about being the salt of the world, fulfillment of the law, and being a light to the world.
Whenever we face temptation, it’s like we’re face-to-face with a door marked Temptation. The door is closed, maybe even cracked a tiny bit. On the other side of the door is a sin. Satan, like a master used-car salesman, tells us whatever he can to get us to open that door and walk through. He wants us to believe that it’s the best choice, and that the pleasure/payout will actually be worth the price. He even tempted Jesus with three very lucrative doors. However, whatever is on the other side of that door is always less than God’s best for us, a trap door in fact. Jesus defeated temptation’s door…He never went through, not even once. And as we stand and face our doors, He promises His children victory and a way of escape to endure it!
As we strive to live out our freedom in Christ, our own desires and cravings like to combine with sin and temptation in a [downward] spiral that goes round and round. Have you noticed a tendency in you and others to repeat the same sins? Spirals can be generational - harmful patterns of attitudes, choices, and behaviors that get passed from one generation to the next. Spirals are also personal. When times get tough, we find ourselves turning to familiar sins, outlets, and habits, even though we know they’re harmful. Either way, these spirals need to be broken, and in Jesus, they can! He works conviction - not condemnation - in us and leads us to freedom via the path of salvific surrender.
Jesus is clear - Satan is the father of lies! He constantly schemes to infiltrate our minds to promote his lies in the face of God’s truth. Do thoughts like – I’m stupid. I’m dumb. I’m hopeless. I’m a mistake. I’m ugly. I’m no good – come from a loving God? We’ll unpack lies that we sometimes believe, such as the lie of comparison; the lie that we’re doomed; the lie of worthlessness; the lie that everyone is against us; and the lie that there’s no way out. God’s truth empowers us to spot, expose, block, and filter out all enemy lies about God, salvation, self, and others.
What great joy it brings when we see God set another captive like us free! Our heavenly Father wants us to live free in His Son. Before the Spirit brought us to Christ, we were slaves to sin. Because of Christ’s work on the cross, sin’s power over us has been broken. Satan has no claim of authority in our lives. Though Satan wants us to believe that we remain in bondage to fear, anger, addiction, depression, anxiety, past mistakes, etc. He is a defeated foe! In Christ, every child of God is accepted, secure, and significant. In Jesus, we are not addicts, loners, losers, outcasts, victims, or failures. We may struggle with some of these fleshly patterns, but that is not who we are (identity). We are free in Christ, and In Him, we have every right to believe our freedom and live from it each and every day. Where are you living, thinking, believing, and behaving as if you are still in chains? Where is Jesus calling you to break free and live from your freedom in Him?
Walking with God is not an easy stroll on level roads, nor is it always prairies and pleasure, peace and alleluias. Psalm 85 is a song that begs for Christmas. Even though this communal lament will never be sung as a Christmas carol, it takes us to Christmas beautifully. In fact, verse 7 could be our Christmas prayer today: “Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.” In other words, give us a sign. Make it clear beyond a doubt that You love us and will save us. Enter cradle and cross. Christianity is the only religion in which God enters history to solve humanity’s struggle with sin. Jesus brings salvation; He made His home with us so that we could make it home with Him.
Where is your world the darkest? Feeling overcome by the darkness of guilt and shame? The darkness of loneliness and isolation? The darkness of conflict? The darkness of despair? For you the light of Christ has broken in this very night. Jesus says, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46). Darkness has no claim on you, no hold on you, no future with you. Jesus is your light. Walk in His light. Live in His light. Reflect His light in this darkened world.
Great wins and victories are often accompanied by song. In today’s world, maybe it’s Queen’s: “We are the champions, my friend.” Arching over the life of every believer is a historic win: the Red Sea crossing! Outnumbered. Outpowered. Trapped by the terrain. God worked the SuperBowl of all wins! God’s people couldn’t help but burst forth in song: “The Song by the Sea” in Exodus 15 – declaring His might and power to save. At the other end of the Bible is another “Song by the Sea” (Revelation 15). God has done it again! Complete victory! No wonder His people continue to sing from both Testaments into eternity. In great power, “The LORD is my strength and my song.” (Exodus 15:2)
In Psalm 31, David prays to the Lord for guidance - the One who’d proven Himself “rock and refuge” time-and-again. One cannot miss in this Psalm the link between prayer and trust. Because David trusts in the Lord, he can pray confidently for direction and help. Advent is all about God’s leading and guiding too. Even when our trek feels relentlessly uphill, we can trust the God who summited Calvary Himself and lives to guide us in ours.
This time of year do you feel especially wearied? Exhausted? Stretched too thin? In Isaiah 40, “weary” is all over the text. God’s people weary in Babylonian exile, awaiting the Lord’s deliverance. With God, however, waiting is actually a season of strengthening. In waiting, God works renewal, a renewal that leads to soaring as eagles. In weariness, Isaiah points to the Holy One born to bring renewal to all the faint and weary…Jesus!
This time of year do you feel especially wearied? Exhausted? Stretched too thin? In Isaiah 40, “weary” is all over the text. God’s people weary in Babylonian exile, awaiting the Lord’s deliverance. With God, however, waiting is actually a season of strengthening. In waiting, God works renewal, a renewal that leads to soaring as eagles. In weariness, Isaiah points to the Holy One born to bring renewal to all the faint and weary…Jesus!
In today’s section of 2 Corinthians, Paul likens generosity to scattering seed. In 1st century Palestine, farmers didn’t take a seed, dig a hole, and cover it up. For thousands of years, people wore knapsacks filled with seed on their shoulders. They’d walk through fields, grabbing handfuls of seed and scattering it. What an image of Christian generosity! God gives us seed in the first place (v10), and He promises fruitful yields whenever and wherever we share (v12). What a time, what an opportunity for us to scatter seed! Yes, the needs around us are great, but with God, demand never depletes supply (v8-9).
When Titus began a collection in Corinth for the saints in Jerusalem who were suffering fiscal hardship from famine, Paul feared the Corinthians may fail to give generously as he had boasted they would (v2). The problem was that the affluent Corinthians were known for being loose with their money, but not necessarily towards the church! To address this challenge, Paul uses a form of “readiness” 5x in the opening verses (3 of those being paraskeuazo: to cause something to be ready, to prepare). Christian generosity is marked by a readiness to share…the antithesis of greed. Moreover, one’s reaping and one’s sowing are proportionate (v6) as God - the 1st and greatest Giver - loves cheerful givers (v7).
While fellow Christians were suffering severe famine in Jerusalem, the Corinthian Christians essentially told Paul, “We cannot and will not participate in the financial ministry of the church.” The apostle Paul doesn’t pile on the guilt or lash out at them verbally, rather, he relies on the Gospel to change their hearts and giving habits. He begins and ends the first section on generosity with God’s grace! His grace changed the Macedonian believers, and he’s confident it’ll do the same in Corinth. God’s grace is always centered in Jesus Christ. Jesus gave it all for us, and His generosity reshapes us to do the same.
There are many things worth fighting for in life: marriage, family, truth, sobriety, occupations, entrance exams, scholarships, playing time, grades, etc. In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul exhorts young Pastor Timothy (and all Christians) to focus on life’s biggest fight - The Main Event - fighting for one’s own faith in Jesus Christ, which culminates in the championship belt of eternal life!
On the front deck of our home, we have a big mat outside the front door that says, “Welcome.” How many of your homes have a similar rug or sign? There’s something about wanting to truly have welcoming homes, especially as Christians! In Genesis today, Abraham welcomes his guests, prepares a lavish feast for them, and even waits on them. However, when God visits homes (Abraham’s and ours), He comes not to be blessed but to bless, just as Jesus blessed the homes of Levi, Martha, and Zacchaeus. Knowing Jesus through eyes of faith, we joyfully open our homes to this Guest and say, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest, and let our homes by You be blessed. Amen.”
The Rozelle family has lived in IL for 5 years now, and in this short span we’ve had 6 tornado warnings. In that same timeframe, we’ve had multiple bouts with COVID, an emergency surgery, a serious concussion, a host of doctor appointments, prescriptions, X Rays, MRIs, crutches, treatments, and more. It’s no surprise that our lives and world are broken under sin’s curse. Though storms of life hit every household, Ruth testifies to the hidden yet unfailing providence of God. God is constantly working (even in storms) to produce not what I or we want, but the me and us that He wants. Thus, in faith we “let go” and trust God’s redemptive plan for our lives and this world.
What is love, and what does it mean to have love in your home? This world offers many definitions for love, including warm feelings for, intimacy with, being happy with, etc,. In the Bible, the closest meaning for love is commitment. “God so loved (i.e., was so committed to) the world that He gave His only Son.” Or: “Love the Lord your God (i.e., be so committed to) with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…and love (be so committed to) your neighbor as yourself.” A home, then, that is built on Jesus, is framed with love - with a commitment to the marriage, to each family member, and the resolve with Christ to endure. Love is the mortar that bonds the Christian home together.
Have you ever noticed how much trash accumulates in our homes every day - not just physical trash, but especially “trash from ourselves and from one another”? Hurtful words. Broken promises. Mean thoughts. Inattentive ears. Selfish choices. Regardless of what trash (sins) has piled up in our homes, or how long we’ve been storing some of them, by the grace of God that has already forgiven us freely and fully, we can take all the sins in our homes to God’s dump (the cross) and leave them there.
As God’s children (i.e., members of His household), He cares about how we communicate with each other. Afterall, death and life are in the power of the tongue. Yet rather than using our mouths to tear each other down and grieve the Holy Spirit, in Christ, our tongues can dispense grace and build one another up. In a Christian home, Jesus reshapes the matter (truth) and manner (in love) of our communication.
Regardless of interior or exterior appeal, the most important piece to any building or home is what lies beneath, namely, its foundation. The foundation (though mostly unseen) determines the structural integrity and longevity of a house. Jesus speaks to the importance of having the right foundation in our lives and families. In today’s parable, two builders face the same storm, yet with two different fates…only one house remains standing. We know from Scripture that the BIG STORM—Judgment Day—is coming; no life will be untouched. However, only homes (i.e., lives) that are built on Jesus and His Word will stand steadfast. The incredible news: God’s grace allows rebuilds; He even empowers them. Moreover, each new day is more time to build upon the one foundation that will last for eternity.
Christ’s vision is the world. After stating all that we are and have in Christ, Paul turns us outward to those who still need Christ. First, Paul urges us to pray outward…to pray for God to open doors through which we can proclaim Christ and for our speaking to be clear. Second, Paul encourages us to be mindful of how we walk as Christians, always striving to walk in wisdom toward outsiders so that we make the best use of our time and missional opportunities. Lastly, Paul directs us to guard our tongues, making sure that our words are gracious, seasoned with salt, so that we know how to constructively answer both skeptics and rejectors.
How does our new and full life in Christ transform our homes? How does Christ change the way wives, husbands, children, and fathers live in relationship to one another in their respective God-given roles? Paul tells us how. Wives live with a submissive spirit to their husbands. Husbands love their wives and remain gentle with them. Children obey their parents in everything, which pleases the Lord. Fathers don’t provoke their children, lest they become discouraged. Whatever our God-given vocation, we work heartily for the Lord, knowing that from Him we will receive the inheritance as our reward. Christ is the one we are really serving.
One of the things my wife and I love to do in late summer is shop for some new clothes. Clothes get too big, too small, dirty, worn out, and just need to be replaced. Plus, there’s something life-giving about a new shirt, dress, pants, or shoes. In Jesus, God has fitted us with an entirely new wardrobe - His perfect holiness and righteousness! Therefore, Paul calls us daily to remove the old clothes of sexual immorality, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, slander and dirty talk that want to cling tightly to our flesh, and in Christ, to daily put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love. There’s just something about new clothes!
Have you ever felt disqualified, not good enough, discouraged and defeated that you just can’t measure up? False teachers in Colossae were injecting venom into the young church, insisting that believers still had to submit to all kinds of do-s and don’t-s to be fully spiritual. Paul reminds them and us that Jesus is enough! He is the Head, and from Him the entire body is “nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, and grows with a growth that is from God” (v19).
What exactly does full life in Jesus mean? In terms of a cost-benefit analysis, to be in Christ comes at great cost: great cost to Him, and great cost to us (deny self and daily walking in Him - 2:6). At the same time, however, Paul underscores the extensive and lasting reward for also being in Christ. We’ve been rooted and built up in Him (v7); filled in Him (v10); buried with Him in baptism (v12); raised with Him through faith (v12); made alive together with Him (v13); triumphant over all rulers and authorities in Him (v15). Full means full!
Paul states the one purpose of every Christian church under heaven: to proclaim and teach Christ so that (1) all believers are presented as mature in Him (i.e., they’re led to a full life in Christ); and (2) no one deludes Christians or leads them astray, no matter how reasonable, persuasive, or compelling the other argument or teaching may be.
Our Jesus is not just the Jesus of the Church, or the Jesus of the Bible - He’s the COSMIC Jesus! Nowhere in Scripture is there packed more punch about His greatness than in these few verses. And it’s the death of this cosmic Jesus in the flesh that has reconciled us…the very ones who were once alienated from God, hostile, and full of evil deeds. Our call, then, is to continue steadfast in faith in the cosmic Jesus - being careful NOT to shift in any way, shape, or form from the hope of the gospel which we’ve heard.
We can only imagine what it must have been like for this young church in a “had been” but now small, insignificant town to receive an actual letter from the hand of Paul! More than that, we can only imagine their response as they read Paul’s opening words to them. Paul prays for them? Paul actually admires THEIR faith in Jesus and their love for the saints? Paul holds them up as a beautiful example of those who’ve heard the word of truth, the gospel, and how the gospel is bearing fruit and increasing in little Colossae? One would think Colossae to be Paul’s only spiritual grandchildren he’s bragging on!!! In Christ, these words are 100% true of St. Peter, too - in spite of our own brokenness and recent rough times. We also have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of Christ. In Christ, we have redemption and forgiveness of sins, meaning we’re just as beautiful too!
Being Saint AND Sinner is the condition we will always be in until God calls us home, and pastors are NO exception. We will always have the tension of Law and Gospel both in our preaching/teaching and our daily living. Knowing how much Grace our Lord had to have for us, I would always seek to lean into Grace in the way I treat myself and others. From my own experience I know how destructive it is to lean the other way.
When you first come to faith and are baptized into Christ Jesus, you also get a big circle drawn on your back. When you get confirmed or go public with your faith, you get another slightly smaller circle painted on your back. When you take an even more courageous step forward in your faith, such as praying out loud for someone or sharing Good News with them, you get a bright red dot in the middle of it! Satan knows how to test and tempt you…but Jesus has him outwitted and always will give you a way out.
Our faith journey throughout life brings us face to face with both ups and downs; doom and hope; judgment and deliverance. God’s desire is to bring us to a point of conviction, conversion, and change. God requires us to ACT justly; to LOVE mercy, and to WALK HUMBLY with our God.
Paul saw firsthand the ways that he was daily rescued from “evil attacks” by Jesus. Paul reminded Timothy and he reminds us of God’s great power to rescue His children, seen most vividly in the cross and empty tomb. Join us in reflecting on all the ways that God comes to our rescue.
The first psalm not only serves as a gateway into the entire book of Psalms, but it serves as a gateway into a life that is truly blessed. The truly happy person is one who loves God’s Torah, ingests it, believes it, and does what it says. Such a life is comparable to a tree in a dry climate that still thrives and bears abundant fruit because of its constant water supply and nutrition.
Great relationships are growing relationships. What can we do to grow in our relationship with God? These past 6 weeks we’ve been following the life and habits of Jesus. Sadly, many people don’t have a plan to be more like Jesus or any targets to shoot for, yet in the 4 Gospels we see Jesus committing to community, studying Scripture, prioritizing prayer, seeking solitude, choosing church, and leading out. After Jesus completes His mission of saving the world through Him, He leads His church out to make disciples of all nations, by baptizing and teaching them His word. Moreover, as the church leads out His mission to disciple the world, He promises His abiding presence in that mission until the last and final day! So we have all that we need to continue to lead out with Jesus today.
As we look at Jesus’ life, Luke says, “Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple.” Jesus chose church and gathered with people daily around His word. Why is choosing church so important for us? What benefit does it provide? Church offers the Power of Consistency and the importance of Good News. In Acts 2 (Luke Part II), we see believers consistently gathering together - and great things happen as a result! In the Creed we also confess: “I believe in the holy Christian church, the communion of saints.” Commitment to weekly gatherings around Jesus’ word and table is what we do as His disciples. Can we really love Jesus without also choosing church? Church, after all, is where the greatest news of all - Christ for us - is proclaimed.
Jesus displays a beautiful balance of being around people and in community, but also significant time spent alone with the Father. The 4 Gospels show Jesus either seeking solitude or teaching on it some 39 times; He knew that to complete His mission, He had to stay in touch with His Father. Solitude provides moments of distraction-free rest, renewal, and refocus with God.
Great relationships have great communication. In this crazy, option-filled world, we can talk to someone who is always there - someone who can help us, give us wisdom, cut through any confusion and chaos, and bring direction in our lives. In a rapidly changing world, God still communicates with us in prayer. Nearly 50 times in the 4 Gospels, Jesus practices prayer or teaches on its importance. Jesus prioritizes prayer; He is shown praying alone, praying in public, praying in early morning, praying in evening, praying before meals, and praying before big decisions. As we become more like Jesus, we too can grow and become stronger in prayer and prioritize it as He did.
Habits shape our identity, and identity shapes our habits; both are inseparably intertwined. So where do we find our identity/who we are? The only place to truly discover who we are is to look to the One who created us and that is God, and God’s voice speaks most clearly to us in Scripture. Jesus - even though He was fully God - made a habit of studying Scripture too. In the four gospels, He quotes the OT at least 80 times. By studying Scripture such as 1 Jn 3:1; 1 Pt 2:9; 1 Cor 3:10, etc., God helps us discover who we are in Him - our identity - which in turn shapes our habits..
Our communities exert a profound influence on our life-choices and habits. We can have kingdom goals and habits pointing us one direction in life, but if those closest to us continually point us in other directions, even our best goals and intentions are likely to fall short. So we need to surround ourselves with people who have the qualities that we want to emulate in our life. From the very beginning of His earthly ministry, we see Jesus committed to community; He begins by calling men and women to walk together and be in community with Him - to become as He is and to lead others to do the same.
The best way for us to follow Jesus as His disciples is to emulate His life and His teachings, to look to the only person who was ever in a perfect relationship with the Father. In Jesus’ close relationship with God, we see Him living out these six practices: commitment to community, studying Scripture, prioritizing prayer, seeking solitude, choosing church, and leading out.
Easter wasn’t the first time God had waged a startling, last-minute victory. Exodus 15 depicts quite the battle scene: Pharaoh boasts that he’ll have his fill of God’s people and divide their spoil (v. 9), but in the face of utter defeat, the Lord works a stunning victory - He makes the sea into dry land and swallows Pharaoh’s army for good. Centuries later, when Satan gloated in victory at Jesus’ cross and sealed tomb, Jesus rose victorious! Most wonderful of all, Jesus shares His victory with us. Death no longer terrorizes us; our sins no longer condemn us; and Satan stands powerless over our souls. All thanks and praise be to God!!!
Our big word today is “processions.” We know processions: parades, military celebrations, presidential motorcades, homecomings - even funerals. The Bible had processions too: Ark of the Cov’t, Jericho, Jerusalem festivals, etc. Today we wave palm branches to reenact Jesus’ welcome into Jerusalem; His procession begins His mission of mercy for all people. Friday ends with a procession too - Jesus being led to the cross for the salvation of our souls. Because His procession ended in victory on Easter, we look forward in hope to our final procession: the saints gathered around His throne with palm branches in hand praising the eternal salvation of our God. (Rev 7:9-10).
To serve means to work for the benefit of others. It means to assist and provide for them. Following Jesus’ example in the Upper Room with a wash basin and foot towel, we recognize that we are called in mercy to serve the needs of those around us.
In 21st century America marred by divisions (vaccination status, political, economic, race, church bodies, etc.), it’s difficult even for Christians to live in harmony and accord with each other. We need mercy in relationships with one another, and in the communities which God has placed us, He gives us mercy and grace to treat one another as Christ has so cared for us.
Temptation includes any distraction to turn from God’s words and ways. Paul reminds us of the grave spiritual danger temptation poses for Christians; temptation is persistent and progressive in power. In the face of temptation, however, God mercifully provides us with a way out through Christ. He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet He did not sin. He also gives us real, resurrection power to say “No” to temptation.
Although no life goes without suffering, Jesus knows the pain and hurt of sufferings. Moreover, in the cross, Jesus fully redeems our sufferings, and because of His empty tomb, He promises that our sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us when He returns in glory.
We ponder the truth that though we betray our God every time we live and act contrary to His Word and Will - whether for the price of greed, ambition, acceptance, or retaliation, etc. - our Lord woos us back into the merciful arms of Jesus.
In a way, this dangerous prayer encapsules the previous six. God’s growth includes searching, leading, teaching, breaking, sending, and transforming. Peter’s last word to the church on earth is to “grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.” The disciples also pray: “Increase our faith.” This prayer (like the others) is not one-and-done, but a lifestyle of daily Christiain nourishment! What we feed grows, and what we starve dies. Hence, this dangerous prayer commits to daily, prioritized, intentional time with Jesus - His Word, in His presence praying, at His table, in fellowship with His body, etc.
This prayer isn’t a little spiritual warm up or minor stretching exercise, it’s a soul-cleansing, heart-mending, life-altering prayer. Romans 12:1-2 is where things get real, where the rubber hits the road...genuine, Spirit-filled transformation. I’m asking God to make a different me. Stronger. More humble. More confident and secure in Christ. Noticeably different from the world around me. A mind set on heavenly things. “God, transform me.”
JFK challenged Americans to do more than consume; he challenged us to contribute. Can you imagine how lives might be changed if instead of asking God to do something for us, we dared to ask God to use us on His behalf? Overcome by the LORD’s transcendance and forgiveness, Isaiah responds, “Send me. Use me. I’m all Yours. Available. On call. Standing by to help someone, serve someone, tell someone, give to someone.” Jesus says He has sent us (i.e., the church is apostolic or “sent” as we confess in the creed). Are you afraid to pray “send me” for fear of where He might send you or what He might ask you to do? He could send you to Africa, but more likely He’ll invite you to be His missionary at work, to your neighbor, to friend at gym, etc. How does Isaiah’s vision help our reservations to pray this dangerous prayer?
More often than not, I think it’s safe to say that our prayers focus on safety, blessing, comfort, health, and protection. Who wants hardship? Who wants struggle? However, we are most pliable to God when we are emptied of ourselves, when He breaks our pride, our self-confidence, our strength, and our self-sufficiency. Paul realized when God had broken him that his real strength was in the Lord, that God was his sufficiency, that God uses brokenness to sharpen character, deepen faith, and increase intimacy with Jesus.
Humbling ourselves under God and His Word (His eternal truth), even if we are uncomfortable with His truth or don't like it. No disciple is greater than His master, but the goal is to be like Jesus in every way via "teach me."
Those who trust in the LORD continually seek His guidance and humble themselves under His lead. Though God’s path is not the easy, safe, comfy, and cozy path, it is always the best path. Hence, David prays the dangerous prayer: “Make me to know Your ways, teach me Your paths, and lead me in Your truth.” In other words, guide me to become who You want me to be.
David prayed this dangerous prayer. It requires courage and trust to listen and respond to whatever God reveals. “Search me” has the power to convict and correct. Rather than asking God to do something for me, this prayer asks God to reveal something in me...so that He can forgive, remove, mend, and mold us like Christ.
Last but not least to the Christmas nativity are Magi from the east who follow Jesus’ star to Jerusalem and ask for the whereabouts of the newborn King that they might worship Him. Though greatly troubled, experts in the Torah point the magi to Bethlehem as His birth place (a 6-mile journey south from Jerusalem). Again the star leads them to the place where the Child is, and they enter the house and fall down, worship Jesus (up to 2 yrs old now), and present Him with costly gifts. What an epiphany, not just for the magi but for the world, a beautiful foreshadow of Jesus-worship by all nations (Matt 28:19; Rom 1:5; Phil 2:9-11; Rev 7:9-10; 21:24). His Word still tells us where to find and worship the King.
Right on the heels of Simeon in Luke 2:36-38, Anna deserves a place in the Christmas nativity too! Anna is unique in that she is (1) a prophetess; (2) faithful to one husband; (3) an elderly widow now 84; (4) devoted night and day to worship in the temple, including fasting and prayer. Moreover, coming to the temple the same hour that Baby Jesus was brought by Joseph and Mary, she begins to praise and thank God and speak of Jesus to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. The Good News of Jesus cannot be contained - even to this day!!!
Luke 2:22-35 is a Christmas text, a birth narrative in the Gospel of Luke. When Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised on the 8th day (and given His name Jesus), there’s a righteous and devout elderly man - Simeon - who’d been waiting for Messiah. The Holy Spirit prompted Simeon that baby Jesus was the very One, and he scooped Baby Jesus in his arms and spoke a blessing over Him - a blessing of praise and thanks, yet also a prophetic word that He’d cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and that a sword would pierce Mary’s own soul. Why does the Nunc Dimittis leave off verse 2? Why no Christmas melody to these words? In a world of sin and evil, Jesus and His followers can expect hostility and hardship - first within ourselves but also from without, but also through faith - the rising to new life in Jesus from the ashes of our brokenness and ultimately to His perfection on the Last Day.
Now that we have Jesus in our nativity, we need a bed for the little Babe...or more, a manger. While this season has its entertainment and retail side: extravagant gifts; bright lights; glittery decorations; and smells of spice, the first Christmas is about God’s business, and God’s business in Bethlehem has nothing to do with show business. In fact, 3x in our text Luke emphasizes that the King came not in a palace, castle, or mansion, but in a manger. The heart of the Christmas message is unimaginable greatness packed into a manger! The God of the universe came to us in weakness and smallness, in diapers and a feeding trough. God in a crib...and more: from crib to cross. Don’t be put off by the lowliness of Christmas, for in that ordinary manger lies the extraordinary riches of the Gospel.
The focus this year will be on the name of Jesus itself - the most controversial name in the world. However, we see in the Christmas nativity that the name of Jesus is actually our greatest gift and treasure...to take home with us today, for the name itself is (1) prophetic; (2) powerful; (3) personal; and (4) portable. Everything will fade. The glitz and glitter will soon be boxed for another year. Beloved carols and hymns stop playing. Family and friends will leave. The food, cookies, and cocktails consumed. Many return to the routine of work and school. All too soon it’s come and gone. But not this. Not the name of Jesus. It’s yours now and forever.
This weekend we add the shepherds to the nativity set. Of all people, what are shepherds doing there? What role do they play? From the shepherds we learn (1) God’s word is worth hearing (v10); God’s word inspires praise (v14); (3) God’s word can be believed - they found everything to be exactly as God had revealed through His angel (v16, 20); and (4) God’s word spills over to others/evokes sharing (v17-19).
This weekend we add an angel or angels to the nativity set. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine Christmas without angels. They announce. They declare. They sing. Think of the Christmas hymns that include angels. Yet in every case, the messengers are not the message. The message always focuses on God and what He is doing for mankind. The angel declares: “I bring you good news of great joy!” Christmas is good news, not good advice or a self-improvement plan! The angel continues, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.” Moreover, the angel did not continue, “Once upon a time.” Christmas is not a fairy tale or legend; it’s really real for us.
This weekend we now add Joseph’s figurine to the nativity set. Chronologically, Mary’s announcement in Luke 1 must precede the angel’s appearance to Joseph in Matthew 1, for her pregnancy is now visible and Joseph plans to divorce her quietly. With God, however, things are not always as they appear to us. Hence, God sends an angel to Joseph in a dream to inform him that the child in her is not from another man but from the Holy Spirit, that God Himself is behind this big development! Once again, the angel does a gender-reveal and even gives the Baby’s name. In faith and obedience, Joseph wakes and does exactly as the angel of the Lord commanded him: (1) he took his wife; (2) he remained abstinent until after His birth; and (3) he named Him Jesus.
God sends Gabriel to tell Mary that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit and bear a son and call His name Jesus, as a virgin. In this dramatic encounter that she will mother the Son of the Most High, we see a human Mary respond thoughtfully (v29), inquisitively (v34), and ultimately....submissively (v38). Mary’s response, “I am the Lord’s servant” invites us to trust God in anything He sends into our life, whether we understand it or not.
God is not against money or wealth. In fact, giving started with God Himself and is really about what He wants for us, not what He wants from us. Yet God’s people were holding back the first and best portion from Him. Hence, God challenges His people to give the full tithe and just see what happens. He is never short on His Word! Dare we bring the full tithe too!?
Stewarding every asset for the kingdom is a spiritual struggle, so much so that Jesus calls us to stop storing up (i.e., dwelling on) earthly treasures which are insecure and will only combust on the Last Day! Rather, Jesus invites us to store up treasure that reaps eternal dividends...in heaven (faith, generosity, prayer, fasting, witnessing, love, and good works, etc.). The kingdom reorients our focus from being settlers here to pilgrims who are passing through - enjoy His material blessing but not stockpiling/dwelling upon them & holding onto them loosely/ready to share to one in need.
One of the many gifts God gives us is time. Time is a limited, sacred commodity that we daily decide how to spend. Poor management includes sloth, procrastination, and worry. Jesus, however, redeems our time. He reorients us to His kingdom and its priorities with the gift and blessing of each new day.
On this Reformation/Confirmation weekend, the greatest treasure we have received from God by the Holy Spirit is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful stewardship of this most precious gift should be the highest priority in our walk with Jesus. Poor management neglects worship; the Sacraments; the preaching, teaching, and reading of Scripture; vibrant prayer; and close relationships with other believers. Responsible stewardship, however, integrates these disciples into one’s daily and weekly rhythms with Jesus.
Though Jesus affirms that each day will bring its own trouble, every concern presents an opportunity for His children to trust in God’s gracious providence and care. King Hezekiah, when Isaiah came and told him that he was going to fall ill and die, went to God in prayer. Likewise, when Jesus needed to select 12 disciples to equip and release, spent the night in prayer with the Father. In Jesus, we are free and invited to take every concern to the Father too!
Every ability is a gift from God’s hand to be managed for His purposes and glory and not to be managed poorly, sat on, or taken for granted. Moses had a staff, but with God that was more than enough. We too will take a brief inventory of everything God has placed in our hand and give practical ways that we can steward those things for God, because with God, what we have in our hand is always enough.
The Bible continues (since Gen 3 “did God really say”?) to be challenged on many fronts. Many dismiss it as a book of myth, legend, and a vengeful God w/morsels of truth, some wise saying for life, but chalked full of contradictions and errors. Additionally, the Bible is said to be unscientific, historically unreliable, and culturally regressive...just an ancient text with declining modern value. The integrity of the First and Second Testaments screams otherwise! We have more, better, and earlier copies for the Bible than any other book in history. It has proven itself historically accurate, archeologically sound, and personally transformative. Give it an honest look and it will change your life and make you wise to Jesus too.
When order by evolution and order by creation are placed side-by-side, our belief in creationism is a much better story of God’s goodness and perfect plan. In this study of God’s goodness in creation, we will marvel at the Principle of Causality; the Anthropic Principle; and the Origin of First Life because ultimately, WE are the goodness of His creation.
More literature has been written about Jesus of Nazareth than any other person in world history...and it’s not even a close 2nd. Fundamental to ALL of Christianity is the belief that Jesus of Nazareth is THE GOD of the First Testament in human flesh. Because ALL of Christianity depends upon the truth and truthfulness of Jesus Christ, (1) if Jesus is a real, historical person who caused word of Himself to spread fast, shouldn’t we find evidence for His life in 1st-century, extra-biblical sources too? (2) If we can establish that Jesus of Nazareth historically walked this earth for 30 years, is there also compelling evidence in that time that He IS THE GOD of the First Testament too?
Have you ever wondered to yourself or had someone else ask you, “Is God real?” It’s a great question with great ramifications. I mean, if God is real, how can I know Him and His presence in my own life? And if He is real, what kind of God is He? Is His attitude toward me love and goodwill, or one of disappointment and harm? As we engage this belief, we’ll look more into nature’s complex design, moral conscience, and God’s presentness in human suffering.
ow do we know what is true when there are so many competing voices telling us what to believe and do? The truth is: If we want to orient our lives, families, friends and neighbors around truth rather than deceit and falsehood, then we need to go to the source and blessing of ALL truth! Jesus and His words are that unchanging truth (Jn 14:6), and His truth imparts complete freedom from guilt and the enslaving power of sin (John 8:3:31-32).
God has uniquely created every woman and man, every girl and boy, to have a special place in His Kingdom - one that no one else can fill! We are at our best when we help every individual discover their unique gifts and calling, giving them permission and platform to put them to use and empowering them to take part in God’s redemptive work in the world.
Because we know that everything that we have comes from God and has been given to us for our good, we can find ways to celebrate all the time. In fact, as God’s people, we should always be celebrating something! And we do… Big things, small things; ordinary things, and special things. By intentionally celebrating, we remind ourselves of the goodness of God and spread joy to others.
We take courageous steps and explore new places for the Kingdom, because we know we are never alone and that the power of God is at work within and through us. So long as we remain established in God’s word and alert to where Jesus is leading us, we need not fear anything!
More than anything else, St. Peter is family: women and men, girls and boys, sharing life together as we follow Jesus…which is exactly what we see Jesus doing in the Gospels and what we see the Early Church doing, too. While there are all sorts of distractions to true community and while there may be divisions caused by sin, we should never give up pursuing true, authentic, deep relationships with fellow believers and those who are far from Jesus.
James closes with a call to action to help those who have fallen into sins trap. We must be vigilant in spotting anyone who wanders from the Word of truth (1:18) as spiritual death is at stake. Timely intervention (gospel summons) is critical. Christians who retrieve a fallen brother or sister cover the many sins (by the gospel’s power) and save the straying soul from eternal death.
Christian faith prays expectantly. Not only does Christian prayer have power in physical and spiritual sickness, but all of God’s children - through faith in Jesus and not simply elders - have great power in prayer. James even turns our prayer life outward to the welfare of one another, including the forgiveness of sins.
In an “instant culture” where waiting is seen as painful, God calls Christians to patiently endure hardship and to trust in His full and final vindication. Thus, knowing that God holds the plan and that He is compassionate and merciful toward us, we can patiently wait until the coming of the Lord when He permanently rights all wrongs.
James condemns all arrogant presumptions in future planning (business, travel, etc.) that do not factor in God’s sovereignty or our transientness. Future planning and investments are not wrong, but arrogant self-confidence and boasting are. Christian faith, therefore, always leads us to say: “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
James turns to the root cause of conflict and dissension in the church: our own selfish ambitions and unmet desires fracture the faith community with quarrels and fights. In fact, my own sinful passions can block answered prayers, lead to enmity with God, and set up a base of operation for the evil one. Only faith, as it repents and submits wholly to God, receives the grace to live in Christian harmony.
James transitions to sins that cause dissension in the Christian community. He begins by addressing the destructive power of the human tongue. Such a small piece of flesh can cause profound damage on a much larger scale, including a world of unrighteousness! Only faith in the living Lord has the power to tame our tongues and to use them as instruments of blessing rather than evil and cursing.
James continues the theme that hearing/faith naturally results in doing/works. True, good works are not the basis of our salvation in Jesus Christ/faith; however, good works are the necessary result and fruit of our faith in Him. Conversely, faith that is not accompanied by action/doing is useless and dead. Why? Because genuine faith in Jesus cannot be alone; it always incubates works (with its source in the living Christ)!
James shows the fundamental faith-gap when Christians are partial in their treatment of other people, be it race, gender, or wealth. There is no place for favoritism or discrimination in the life of faith; both transgress our Lord’s love command, whereas “mercy triumphs over judgment.”
There is a difference between loving Jesus and loving like Jesus. If we love people who are nice to us or who see things like we do or who believe and behave like us, but we ignore the rest, that’s like reading every other page of the gospels and thinking we know what Jesus says. Loving like Jesus means loving everybody, including people who make me afraid; people who are wrong according to the Bible; and people who disagree with me. Arguments, big words, lectures, finger pointing, or being the loudest voice in the room won’t change people, only Jesus and His love in and through us will. Agreeing with Jesus is cheap, walking in obedience is costly. Moreover, our brains can fool us into thinking that hoping to help our enemies is synonymous with actually helping them. If I only pretend to care for hurting people, rather than actually doing something to help them, then I settle for hoping rather than helping. In Jesus, God drew a heart around the world and said everybody’s in. [witch doctor illustration on pg 9] Why not carry water bottles, McDonald’s gift cards, hand/feet warmers, etc. in our cars. Which enemy is your chance to resurrect Jesus’ love? To love enemies is also to help them, not just learn about, be nice to, or tolerate them. Do we see our enemies as obstacles to be avoided or as opportunities to demonstrate Jesus’ love?
Resurrecting Jesus’ love means seeing people the way that God does. While we tend to see people’s problems, personalities, and imperfections, Jesus only sees people. Period. Jesus loves people without distinction. He does not see the political, racial, gender, economic, national, international, denominational, etc. differences that divide/separate us. Rather, He sees people whom He dearly loves and died for, and He meets every person at the same ground level - grace! The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to see our neighbors without distinctions. As I think about putting Jesus’ words into practice, do I make my opinions - even my beliefs - more important than the people Jesus made? As I work with the Holy Spirit to resurrect His love in my life, there’s no school to learn how to love my neighbors, just the people and homes next door.
To resurrect Jesus’ love among us, we must constantly be on-guard against a real “love blocker”...our sins against one another! Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:21-35 help us place our constant need for free and full forgiveness between us and our neighbors in perspective by emphasizing the magnitude of our debt before God. Resurrecting Jesus’ love means giving away the love and forgiveness which He freely gives us. It’s time to stop holding things against other people, lest the world see a church and steeple filled with people pointing fingers at each other.
Have you ever looked at a package before buying it to see what is and what is not included inside? A free trial period? Batteries? Lifetime updates? Brownie mix? Sharper? Extra razors heads? (Give an example) In our text today, loving like Jesus doesn’t come with a stage, an audience, a platform, or glamour, but with a small towel to keep on our waists. (Give an example of a time when you saw that kind of love in a mom or grandma [selflessly cleaned up a horrid mess or cared for a sick person at risk to their own health]...love that comes with a small towel and seeks no recognition for it). Here’s another powerful illustration: Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao—a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built 2,000 coffins by hand so that, when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope. Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this, the people loved him. Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: "We lepers…." Now Father Damien wasn't just helping them; in selfless love, he was one of them. From this day forward, he wasn't just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together. How much more God’s love in Jesus Christ: God came to earth with a towel around His waist.
When have you wrestled with - even had anxiety or lost sleep over - a guest list? Wedding reception (more faces more plates more dollars)? Birthday (number of little ones running around)? Sleepover? Pool party? Anniversary? Graduation? Confirmation? Backyard BBQ? Super Bowl party? Guys night? Girls night? Sorting through people/names and faces can be stressful: who do we include, and who do we well...pass over? In Mark 2, the scribes of the Pharisees take issue with Levi’s … and Jesus’ guest list: Jesus eats with a houseful of equally “defiled” people! Jesus’ love got so messy that other people noticed. We made His guest list too, and we’re just as messy! In resurrecting Jesus’ love, would we let Him write our guest list too? What would scare us the most about that? When have we missed opportunities to love - even in the mess, because we were too busy wielding a righteous badge or being the hall monitor of other people’s behavior. God drew a heart around the world and said everybody is in; we don’t decide who is in and who is out.
Amber Alert is an emergency response system that disseminates information about a missing person (usually a child), by media broadcasting or electronic roadway signs. Can you imagine Jerusalem’s Amber Alert on Easter Sunday? Missing Messiah! Have you seen this man? He has dark hair and was last seen wearing grave clothes. He’s considered dead and dangerous. Do not approach Him. Notify Jewish and Roman authorities immediately. The angels, however, declare to the women outside His tomb: “Jesus isn’t missing, but has risen!” Jesus lives eternally so that we can too! If heaven had an Amber Alert, would you be on it? We don’t have to be missing either! All who are baptized/believe in the crucified and risen Jesus are found too!
Luke 19:37 notes that “as He was drawing near - already on the way down the Mt. of Olives - the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.” Interestingly, praise increases at the crest of the mount just as Jerusalem comes into view. I imagine this moment was like a “Scenic Overlook” for Jesus. This is it...the final week that His entire ministry has been preparing for. The holy city where God had placed His name, the epicenter of God’s redemptive plan for the entire world (i.e., our salvation) now in view. Jerusalem remains a scenic overlook for us too - the place of our redemption - as we walk with Jesus from the Upper Room, to the cross, and to an empty tomb on Easter morning!
In our affluent American suburbs, believers will constantly feel the pull toward material possessions in their walk with Jesus. The constant danger, however, is that obsession with earthly goods and well-being can crowd God’s ways out of our hearts. Hence, Jesus teaches us to “Use Extreme Caution” as He continues down the road toward Calvary.
The human eye is the headlamp for the entire body. The light and darkness which our eyes let in/don’t let in affects our entire being. When the Gospel illumines are sight, our body walks in God’s light. When our eyes allow darkness, we walk blindly in sin. Only Jesus can correct our vision as the Spirit penetrates the eyes of our body, dispels the darkness of sin, and sanctifies every aspect of our lives.
The story of Mary and Martha shows the importance of abiding in Jesus and His Word. Today, we are often so distracted by things of this world that we veer from what matters most: Jesus and His Words. In a play on words, Jesus says, “Mary has chosen the good portion.” He compares the Word to eating a meal. Meals will come and go, but only His Word lasts and satisfies for forever.
In life there are many roads and sideroads that we can take, yet only one road leads to God and His home - merging with Jesus. As Luke continues in chapter 9, three would-be followers miss their “merge” because they want to follow Jesus in their timing and on their terms. The good news for us is that though there’s only one road to God, and it’s narrow...only one-laner...by grace Jesus invites us to enter from any point in any condition and merge with Him. He even gives us the strength to follow and stay merged.
ALZ kills more people every year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined; 1:3 seniors die with ALZ or another dementia. Although the disease itself has been described as a prolonged funeral for loved ones, Jesus’ words speak hope of eternal remembrance and care in His hands.
When battling cancer, it’s important to (1) be honest about your feelings and emotions; (2) trust the God who is on your treatment team; (3) rejoice that in Christ, all believers are on a march toward life; and (4) therefore, to keep your focus not on the temporal seen but on the glorious eternal unseen!
Though David was stuck in a miry bog like depression, his faith continued to hope in the God who heard his prayers and eventually drew him out to solid ground. God’s appraisal of our life is the one that counts, and He can raise anyone from the pit, including Himself on Easter morning!
One out of six couples struggle with infertility today, much like Hannah did in 1 Samuel. We learn from Hannah’s journey though, not just awareness of and great sensitivity to this hardship, but also hope in the God who deeply loves and cares about our pain.
Even as His people were subject to captivity and exile, and in our case to a COVID pandemic, God is always with us, no matter how deep the “river” gets or how hot the “fire” burns.
Though valleys in life are inevitable and impartial, by God’s transformative presence and grace, we can see our valleys as temporary, purposeful, and beneficial opportunities for faith and character building.
Though Isaiah’s world and ours can get very, very dark, the light of Jesus has risen and shines the darkness - our deepest darkness - away.
Christian generosity is the lone area of discipleship where God invites us to test Him. God promises abundant blessing - sometimes temporal, always eternal - when we bring our full tithes and offerings to Him. Moreover, when we live generously, we show our faithfulness and trust in Him.
The heart of the matter is really a matter of the heart. Christian generosity reflects and responds to the heart of the first and greatest giver: God in Jesus Christ. As we look to God, we see that giving is free and joyous, never reluctant or obligatory.
Christian generosity begins with the humble understanding that every person and possession really belongs to God, for He created them. Hence, God is the owner, and we are managers with all that He entrusts to our earthly care.
What happens to us when we die? What about our loved ones? The answers are even better than you might think!
How often do we think of ourselves as prey? Yet Peter warns us that every day in our walk with Jesus we are being hunted by a vicious, cunning, and determined foe. How do we overcome? The God of all grace summons us to resist him. How? Firm in faith, in fellowship with each other, and established in Christ.
In Christ, God’s kingdom is our permanent address. Therefore, Jesus directs our focus to His Kingdom/Him, in the promise that His Father will graciously meet our earthly needs as well. Hence, we can stop being anxious.
The peace of God flows from the God of peace. Christian faith transforms thought management. Though we can’t control most aspects of life, we can pick what we ponder. In the battle against anxious thoughts, the Holy Spirit works to direct our minds to things above where our lives are hidden with God in Christ.
Anxiety loves to play two losing games: (1) the if only game; and (2) the plus game (i.e., layoffs plus a pandemic). Both games end in despair. God’s answer is prayer, not despair; peace comes when we give our anxieties to God and leave them there!
Anxiety also follows guilt. Guilt sits in the human soul like a rock and digresses from thinking I did bad to believing I am bad. God’s cure for guilt is grace. In Jesus, our verdict on the Last Day is guiltless!
God’s power by which He can do all things is AT WORK in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. What does that mean for our kingdom work?
Prayer comes from God’s armory. Jesus uses prayer in spiritual battle too. Prayer imposes the already won victory of Christ on the enemy!
Making more sense of unanswered prayers. Remember, the Bible teaches a caring Father, and with God, the Bible teaches us about the abundance of grace and blessing when we wait upon the Lord in faith. With God we can actually see unanswered prayers as a time of great blessing in our lives!