Isaiah 56:9-12

Isaiah 56:9-12
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Isaiah is writing to two types of people here in chapter 56.  The first, previously discussed, are the forlorn and hopeless, those who have been cast aside by society.  God is actively gathering them up and restoring their hope through his mercy, grace and power.  The second is mentioned here -- these are the leaders who see their position as an opportunity to enrich themselves, who put their hope in their own riches and power, who have no need for a Savior because they do not see their situation as one from which they need saving.
  It's a vital distinction in how we view ourselves.  Are we doing pretty good, but would appreciate God's help in a few manners?  Or do we recognize our true situation -- our sins have separated us from God, and without his intervention in the person of Jesus Christ, who atoned for his sins through his death on the cross, we are hopeless to approach the throne of grace.
  But, because we have received grace upon grace, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence -- our sins are gone, we are free, not by our own hand but through the love and wonder of Christ.
  If we rely upon ourselves, we will discover (hopefully not too late) that the situation is more grim than we had imagined.
  If we rely upon God, we will discover that our hope in him is more wondrous than we might have thought.

Isaiah 56:1-8

Isaiah 56:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV)

 If you have a child, you want them to succeed, partially for their own sake, and partially for the sake of bringing honor to your name.  You hope that when they interact with others, they will be polite and respectful and reflect well on their upbringing.  You hope that others will notice their good manners and think well of you.
  When you go out into the world, do you try and do everything in such a way that it will reflect well on God?  Here, the Lord is teaching us to live in such a way that communicates our faith.  Our daily choices shape our lives, and our lives can either honor God or not.  We can take a step closer to the Kingdom of God, or we can selfishly choose our own ways.  Every day, there are hundreds of small choices we make -- so often we make them mindlessly, getting absorbed in the task before us and forgetting our greater purpose.  God is reminding us here that we are to live with a mindfulness, to go out with mission and purpose and think about how we are going to build our lives towards the joyful noise we will make in the Kingdom of God.  Will you choose to honor God through your life, or will you lose yourself in something else, forgetting that today is an opportunity to point to God and his greater and eternal glory?

Isaiah 55:12-13

Isaiah 55:12-13
English Standard Version (ESV) 

 Imagine planting an apple tree, and instead a blueberry bush rises up in its place.  Let's say you sow a field of wheat, and instead corn grows up.  You'd be surprised and curious, but you'd at least still have productive crops.
  Here, Isaiah is telling us that where thorns and weeds have been planted, trees have arisen.  What once might have been plucked from the ground is replaced by trees that provide shade and beauty.  What might have not been valued is replaced with something of value.
  The reversals of God are even greater for us.  We have sown death through our sin, but instead of death growing and taking our lives, life has replaced it.  God has done the miraculous and given us life where there was once death.  God has granted joy and freedom where sorrow might have dominated the landscape.  We are blessed with a God of infinite freedom who takes what is often our worst and turns it into something useful, building his kingdom using our broken and redeemed lives!!!

Isaiah 55:5-11

Isaiah 55:5-11
English Standard Version (ESV)

 If someone wrongs me over and over again, eventually I'm going to grow tired of this and stop spending time around this person, stop trusting them, stop giving them second chances.  Eventually, I'll grow weary of their trespasses and cut them out of my life.
  God, however, has ways different than our own.  He is ready to abundantly pardon, and he is to allow our faithlessness to deny his purpose forever.  While our sin may separate us from God, God pursues us with such a love as to close the gap between us through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.  His Word goes out into the world, and the Word returns, having accomplished his intent -- the gathering of his people back into his grace.  God has not grown weary of forgiving us -- but pours out forgiveness and grace, year after year, so that we might recognize that true refreshment, true satisfaction, comes from him alone.
  His thoughts are not our thoughts, his ways are not our ways - and we should rejoice for this, for we cannot grasp the depth of his riches of his love.  We have a wondrous Savior, come to us, Emmanuel.  May we worship and rejoice at the continual forgiveness that gushes forth from the throne of grace.

Isaiah 55:1-4

Isaiah 55:1-4
English Standard Version (ESV)

 This is the message of Christmas -- we who have not labored are given the greatest reward.  We work so hard to obtain riches, not realizing that they cannot buy the things our souls truly want -- instead we fill our appetites with that which does not satisfy, all the while God is inviting us to come and participate in his economy, one that does not cost us what we do not have -- we come and buy on his terms, where the richest foods and the best treasures are free.  This is what our souls are longing for.  This is what our appetites point us to, but we settle for less, because we convince ourselves that these are what will buy our peace, when true peace has been bought through the blood of the lamb.
  Our Father loves us, and he invites us to listen to a greater truth, one that says that you are infinitely loved and defined by the grace and peace of Jesus.  When this peace rules in our hearts, then (and only then) will we find the ultimate rest that exists in Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 54:9-17

Isaiah 54:9-17
English Standard Version (ESV) 

 Did you ever get so mad that you just didn't want to talk to someone for a while?  Maybe you couldn't even stand to see them -- you just needed to be far away from them.  So you left your distance, and after a while time healed those wounds, although you still needed some soothing before the relationship could be repaired.
  We've given God every reason to be mad at us, to flee from us and never come back... and yet God rushes back to us, time after time, to offer us healing and peace.  God's steadfast love is eternal, and we cannot flee from it -- when we reject it, it pursues us still, to the ends of the earth and beyond.
  So revel in the peace of God, but also ponder how you can reflect this in your life.  Do you love like this?  I tend to keep score, to store up the little hurts I get over the years.  God forgives, once and again and again.  I pray to be the kind of person with a gentle soul that is willing to extend grace in every circumstance.

Isaiah 54:4-8

Isaiah 54:4-8 
English Standard Version

  Sometimes, our kids can be less than angels.  They might hit each other, or just be selfish or stubborn or obstinate.  It's frustrating, and there are times when Rachel and I are probably less than patient and gracious parents.  However, though there are times when it is harder to love them than other times, we continue to love them through it, and there are more moments of love and delight than there are of discipline.
  God's love is amazing.  Our sin and selfishness certainly angers God -- it is our rejection of him in favor of another.  However, that sin is poured out upon Christ, and in return we receive eternal favor in God.  His anger has passed, and now his love and delight are born anew each morning.
  So live not in fear of your past, in worry of God's anger.  Live rather in the delight of your eternal Father whose anger has passed and whose love now runs over.

Isaiah 54:1-3

Isaiah 54:1-3
English Standard Version (ESV)

  This brings up one of the themes of the Bible -- receiving that for which we did not labor.  Here we have a barren one who will soon have their habitations spread out, whose offspring will populate desolate cities.  In theory, the barren one should not leave such a legacy, but God somehow brings life where there was once only death.
  It's the same theme we see in Christ's atoning death and resurrection.  Christ died to gain atonement for our sins, and through his perfect sacrifice, we were granted peace and forgiveness.  It's not what we did, but rather what Christ did.
  It's God's economy -- it's very different than the global marketplace, right?  We get that for which we did not labor.  We receive what we don't deserve.  God is at work, and we don't have to earn -- we just have to accept.  You come to the throne of grace not by your merit, but by grace.
  As we enter the week of Christmas, as Mary and Joseph wander toward Bethlehem, may we make our own pilgrimage of the heart, going to that place where we are blessed beyond measure by a generous God who loves without condition and delights in you because you are his child.  His love is wild and free, and it roams as the Spirit does, settling into the heart and transforming our lives.  May the star lead us forward.

Isaiah 53:7-12

Isaiah 53:7-12
English Standard Version (ESV)

    I have such a narrow view of things in the world.  When I read the news, I usually skim over the things that don't apply to me.  Whenever new information is presented, I'm trying to determine how it effects me, what change it will have on my life.  My mind is constantly racing to put me in the middle of everything.
  And so when I look at what Christ has done on the cross, there's a part of me that naturally makes it all about what Christ has done for me.  Sadly, I forget that it doesn't end there -- while Christ has done amazing things for me, he has also absorbed the sin of all of humanity as well, making it possible for us all to be redeemed, to live in peace with God.  It's not just my sins that found atonement on Calvary -- it's the sin of all of humanity, for all of time, that fell weighty upon his back, that pierced his hands and feet and side, that rolled the stone before the tomb and thought the story was over.
  And so it's about me, but it's not just about me.  It's our collective story, one narrative about a God who loves his people and is willing to give anything to save us from our own sin.  I am part of a much bigger whole.

Isaiah 53:1-6

Isaiah 53:1-6
English Standard Version (ESV)

  The man we dismissed as trash turned out to be the greatest treasure of all.  He didn't act like a Messiah, and he didn't look like a Messiah, so we heaped scorn upon him, unaware that it would all be redeemed through his sacrifice on the cross.
  Drawing near to Christmas, it's important to dwell on the reality of Immanuel, God with us.  God left Heaven to dwell among us, not to drive us to shame, but to welcome us to a place of grace.  God's great love meant he was willing to endure scorn and shame and hatred, because through the valley of the shadow of death there was light and life on the other side.
  God endured pain, pierced for our transgressions, and in return you have life, eternal and free.
  May we live by that truth.

2 John 1:4-13

2 John 4-13
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 What does love mean to you?  If I told you to love someone, what would you do?  If you wanted to fall in love with someone, how would you act?  It would change your behavior, right?
  You are infinitely loved, more than you can ask or imagine.  I think one day, when we fall before the face of God in worship, we will suddenly realize how vastly we underestimated the love of God while we were alive.  I don't think our minds can fathom it, and I don't think we invest heavily enough in trying to grasp and communicate how deep and how wide and how great God's love is.  The reality of his unconditional love should change us.  It should settle into our hearts and unsettle all the other loves that compete for our hearts.  We should be repulsed at the false gods that pull us from his love, and we should despise the lies that focus on on competing interests that downplay the centrality of Christ's love.
  There is always more to say about God's love -- we can never reach the end.  My prayer for you is that you know the reality of Christ's love and that it is constantly leading you into the deeper waters of discipleship, so that we might lead one another into more faithful discipleship.

2 John 1:1-3

2 John1:1-3 
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  I was listening to someone talk about the millennial culture once, and they described them as skeptical since the entire generation has been bombarded by advertising since the day they were born -- so they've grown a serious distrust for whatever is told them, because they assume they are just being sold something.  As a result, many start to distrust the larger narratives that hold our society together.  (It's not just true of millennials, I think, but that was the focus of the talk).  The salesmanship of the few leads to a mistrust of the many.
  This happens in the church, right?  People have experience with a Christian of less than ideal integrity or they hear of the latest church scandal or maybe they just feel like they're being sold something, and so they tune out, certain that the whole is like that portion of it.
  In light of that, I am grateful for the way 2 John starts.  He writes from love, and he writes because of love.  He has been loved by the Father, and now he loves others because of it, and everyone else who is with him loves them, too, because they have been loved by the Father.  There's no salesmanship -- just genuine love, born of a greater love than can be imagined.  God loves you, and so you love others.
  If we could all learn to love with such unconditional love, the world would be a better place.  You and I probably jump to all the reasons that it wouldn't happen, but wouldn't it be great if the church, if the members of the church, if you and could just love people selflessly for one day?  What if that was today?  What would that look like?

1 John 5:18-21

1 John 5:18-21
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 I can't help but be stopped sometimes and wonder how dramatically different my life is from the life of someone in Syria.  I'll be driving along or stretched out on the couch and it'll suddenly occur to me that someone three years ago had a life like mine, and now Aleppo is a bombed-out ghost town and so many people have fled with the clothes on their backs, if they are lucky.  And for what, I wonder?
  We don't have to look far to see the presence of evil in our lives.  The devil is at work, and he is ripping at our society, both in large & violent actions and in the every day neglect we often inflict upon one another.  He works in scandals large and in the shredding of every relationship that falls apart through bitter words and addictive behaviors.  The devil is at work.
  Peter tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us.  Jesus shows us that love conquers the devil's power.  John's vision in Revelation reminds us of the fate of evil, but we still deal with it in the here and now.  We cannot escape it, we can only close our eyes, breathe deeply, and remember that NOTHING can separate you from the love of God, and that this world will one day be redeemed by the awesome power of God.

1 John 5:13-17

1 John 5:13-17
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Prayer is kind of a wild thing -- we pray when we are hurting and in need, we pray when we are joyful and thankful, we pray when we recognize our sin and pray for God's healing in our lives.  We pour out our souls to God, and yet it often feels so one-way -- we wonder if anything happens when we pray.

  Scripture assures us that God hears our prayers, that God cares about our prayers, that our prayers have power.  Scripture assures us that prayer isn't simply shouting into the void, but it's one half of a conversation between our souls and the divine, and that prayer has the capacity to heal you in a way nothing else can.
  So let us take our prayers seriously, and may we listen as much as we talk, and may the grace of God wash you anew today.

1 John 5:6-12

1 John 5:6-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  At Christmas, we talk a lot about gifts.  We spend hours debating what to get people, and then even more hours in the store or online searching for that perfect gift.  If we really think about it (and I often don't), we're trying to come up with some way to communicate what someone means to us.  We want them to find delight in our gift, but we also want them to know how important the relationship is to us.  We want them to see that gift as a symbol, as a token of our love.  The more meaningful the gift, the more clear it is how much we value the person.  I'd imagine you spend more time debating what to give your best friend or loved ones than you do the mailman.
  And so look at the gift of Christ -- God's own Son, given to us, that we may receive eternal life.  This is all a gift -- both the sacrifice of Christ and the gift of eternal life.  Think how meaningful these are.  Now recognize how amazing the love of God must be, how much he must value you, to give you such gifts.  May we receive them with delight, and count ourselves as treasured by God.

1 John 5:1-5

1 John 5:1-5
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 I always thought it would be cool to have one of those no-limit credit cards, especially one where someone else was paying the bills.  Imagine feeling like you could buy anything -- want to buy everyone in the world an ice cream cone?  Done.  Want a yacht?  Put it on the card.  It'd be fun, right?  You'd have complete confidence that you could buy anything.
  Jesus is trying to teach us to have that kind of confidence in God.  If we truly believe that all things are possible through faith, we are joining our lives with God's eternal and overwhelming victory.  We are a part of the greatest conquering force in the world, one that does so through the power of selfless love, and we shall celebrate this victory forever.  All of this is made possible through faith in Christ.
  What kind of confidence do you have?  Do you believe you are part of defeating the world?  Our faith gives us victory!

1 John 4:13-21

1 John 4:13-21
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Let's say you're walking down the street today and someone comes up to you and asks you to summarize the entire teachings of the Bible.  You'd be stuck trying to think of how best to sum it all up, right?  You'd want to try and capture all the important teachings, and you likely would be concerned about leaving something important out.  It's hard, especially considering how esoteric some of the things in the Bible are.  It's hard for adults who have lived with the Bible their entire lives to grasp some of the concepts.
  At the heart of the story, however, it can be so simple.  I think we tend to complicate it somewhat just because we have a hard time grasping that it really is so simple -- God has loved us eternally and unconditionally, and when we rejected God to his face, he loved us anyway.  He loved us when we didn't deserve it, and he promised that such love would always be with us, into the depths of eternity.  That's the Gospel story, and if we as the church could figure out how to live that out each and every day rather than arguing about some of the things we argue about, I bet a lot of people would be very interested in learning more about God and his undying love.
  So who and how will you love today?

1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 God has loved you with an everlasting love.  Nothing will ever separate you from it, and God will love you eternally.  The love of God is fiercer than you can imagine, and it will shelter with you in the boldest storms of your life.  It celebrates with you on the mountaintops and mourns with you in the valleys.  God loves you, not because you are worthy, but because he is worthy and merciful and gracious and kind.
  So, therefore, how will you live?
  Will you hoard that love, keeping it to yourself?
  Or will you share it, inviting others to know, treasure and share that same love, to be transformed by unconditional love that heals old wounds and changes eternal destinies?  Will you be a conduit of God's love?

1 John 4:1-6

1 John 4:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Know what's a great feeling when you're a kid?  If someone threatens you and another person sticks up for you, someone more powerful than you, you feel pretty good to have that person on your side.  Or maybe your boss at work stands up for you in a meeting -feels good, right?
  Well, in reality, whenever you go into the world, the Spirit of the living God, the same spirit that moved over the waters in the beginning of time and created the entire world, that Spirit goes with you whenever you act or speak.  That same Spirit is with you, and if you trust in the Spirit, it will lead you forward  So no matter what threatens you, you need not be afraid, because the Spirit of the Living God is with you always.  Listen to God -- don't let the other voices in the world lead you to a place of fear.  God is with you!!!

1 John 3:15-24

1 John 3:15-24
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Before I was a parent, it was so easy to look at other parents and judge whether they were doing the right thing for their kids.  I knew exactly what the best ways to parent were.  Now?  Well, it's a little tougher when one kid is screaming that her legs fell off and can't walk down the stairs and the other is lying on the couch refusing to do anything you ask.  I'm not quite the expert I once thought I was.
  In the same way, the Bible often seems straightforward when we read it.  If you have everything you need, then you should make sure that other people have their needs met.  Simple, right?
  Well, once we start trying to live the Bible out in the real world, we really complicate it, right?  We start trying to determine what is a need versus a want and how we save for the future and emergencies and we wonder about the efficacy of giving to certain groups and people and whether it will really change things.  It gets really complicated, right?
  So what's the answer?
  The hardest thing for me is to dig down to the truly loving thing to do.  I've hardened my heart in a lot of ways to the needs of others, and so my first response is seldom one born out of love.  Often it's rooted in a desire to protect what I have or to avoid entangling myself in the situation of another.  Sometimes, I'm just afraid.  Other times I'm too busy judging someone else to really worry about myself.  I refuse to love them because they might not be worthy of my love, which means I'm failing to recognize the grace of the unconditional love God poured out on me, when I certainly didn't deserve it.
  So we have to pay attention to all the things our messed-up hearts are doing, and we have to pray for the Spirit to teach us how to love as Christ loved, without condition or fear, without holding back, because we are loved and should find our satisfaction in Christ alone.  May we trust him enough to love others selflessly, because we find our true selves in Christ.

1 John 3:11-14

1 John 3:11-14
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 So it was a bit of a crazy day in Columbus yesterday.  In the middle of the workday I learned that someone was running around with a butcher knife trying to stab people just around the corner from where I was in class last year.  A police officer shot the assailant, and it was a strange sensation to think that it was good news that people were only stabbed, none fatally, rather than shot.  It is a sign of how immune we become to the violence that swirls around us, intoxicating us to the steady shock of violence that streams in from around the world.  There is hatred aplenty to go around.
  Here we stand, as Christians, followers of a Savior who ascended the cross and absorbed the world's violence so that peace would ultimately prevail.  In the face of the world's hatred, we speak a language of peace that transcends war, of peace that transcends chaos.  We point to the light when the darkness presses in, and we reveal an empty tomb when death lurks.
  So let us not be surprised at the violence and hatred of the world.  May we in turn surprise the world by reacting in love to the ever-present violence, showing that love triumphs over all.

1 John 3:7-10

1 John 3:7-10
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

 Think about something you might own -- a car, for example.  Let's say you buy it, but it turns out that you park it in your neighbor's driveway and you never actually drive it, because your neighbor drives it all the time. Doesn't really feel like your car, does it?  You would have paid a high price for it, but you don't get the joy and delight from owning it because someone else is always using it.
  When Christ gave his life for us, he paid the highest possible price.  God's own Son laid down his life so that we might have life, so that we might be free.  He bought our freedom from sin and death at the cost of his own life, and now we are set free.  There are two paths before us -- we can choose freedom in Christ, or we can continue to live in the bondage of sin.  If we give control of our lives over to Christ, bowing the knee in submission to his Lordship, we acknowledge that true freedom is possible only in him.  We still wrestle with sin, but we are no longer its captive, for our ultimate freedom is determined by Christ.
  If, however, we refuse to submit to Christ and continue to live in such a way that refuses to acknowledge the presence and love and leadership of Christ, then we deny the reality of the cross in our lives through our actions.  Now that we are adopted as Christ's own through the glory of the cross, our lives should be the proof that we no longer belong to the devil but are Christ's own in love.

1 John 3:1-6

1 John 3:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  When you're younger, you're always looking up to people, thinking about how you want to be just like them.  As you get older, you often realize that the idols of your youth had problems of their own, often very deep and messed-up problems, and you're often grateful that you didn't end up like them at all.  Sometimes, the more you know people, the more disappointed you are in them.
  As young Christians, we look up to Christ, and we want to be just like him.  We want to know him and be near him and love him and experience his love and grace.  We draw near to him, and then as we mature and know him better, we discover that his riches and love know no end.  We find that there is no limit to the love of God, and the deeper we go the more wondrous Christ is.  While our sin was a barrier, that has been destroyed through the crucifixion, and we are free to plunge into the depths of Christ and find ourselves refreshed the deeper we go.

1 John 2:26-29

1 John 2:26-29
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  For a time, I thought I could read my way into deeper faith -- it became a quest, to think that if I just knew a little bit more, then my faith would really grow.  It's easier that way, because it's safer -- it's more academic.
  Now, I'm certainly not one to decry the importance of learning and knowledge.  I believe it is critically important to be informed and knowledgeable.  But faith can't stay there.  Faith can't remain an academic exercise that you think about.  It needs to be your first love, the thing that makes you grow emotionally as well as intellectually.  It should be something that drives you, that is at work deep within you, pulling you back to God.  Faith should be active and at work, a heart-level love that also motivates you to learn as much as possible.
  In seeking Christ, we do so with all of our hearts, all our minds and all our bodies.  In short, we dedicate ourselves to the work and love of God.

1 John 2:18-25

1 John 2:18-25
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  So tonight, as I was putting Caleb to bed, he was asking if there were always more people being born, which led to a question as to when there would be less people on earth, which led to him telling me that he didn't really want to go to heaven because he liked it here.  I certainly agree with him.
  We get so caught up in the here and now -- our imaginations are limited because we don't know anything other than the world and life we have.  We know this world, and the promises of God beyond the veil of death seem so hard to grasp that we discount them, choosing to focus on the here and now.  Then what happens is we get caught up in this world, and when given the chance to sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom of God, we instead continue to invest in our kingdom, because it's what we know.
  So how do we train our hearts to put God's Kingdom first?  How do we let the Holy Spirit shape our imaginations so that we recognize the eternal reality of heaven is greater than our temporal reality here?  How do we live our lives today in such a way so that God's love triumphs over our human appetites, because we are willing to sacrifice today to prepare ourselves to enjoy eternal grace and mercy in the future?
  I don't know.  I can't wrap my mind around it, and I certainly can't explain it to a 5 year old.  I pray for God's Spirit to lead me to focus more on Christ and what he wants, recognizing that God's wisdom is greater than my own, and maybe someday I will learn how to turn down the lies of this world and embrace the promises of God's kingdom, living into that now and practicing for heaven with every remaining breath.

1 John 2:12-17

1 John 2:12-17
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

  What's the most important thing?  I know how I'd like to answer that, and yet if you look at how I spend my days, where my heart and mind are concentrated, does that fit?
  I was listening to a sermon on the way home that talked about how many people who attended church don't really follow Christ, and I always cringe when I hear pastors talk like that, because I'm afraid of becoming one of those people.  I pray every morning for the Holy Spirit to capture my heart, and yet when I look back at the end of the day, I can't help but wonder how I can let that prayer shape the rest of my day, rather than falling pray to the tyranny of the urgent.
  It's only through dependence on God do we ever grow into the person God wants us to be.  The Holy Spirit speaks to us and calls us deeper into grace each and every day, and so we lean into God, recognizing our complete dependence on him and our inability to secure our own salvation.  There is nothing we can do to add to what Christ has done for us on the cross, so we are to receive what God gives freely.

1 John 2:7-11

1 John 2:7-11
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

  It's strange what we value at different parts of our lives.  I was going through some of my things in boxes in the basement, and I found a bag with little plastic animals, a wind-up skull and some plastic parts that don't seem to have any value at all.  At some point, however, I valued these things enough to hold onto them.  They were important then.
  I wonder how I'll look back on some of the things I value now.  Will a nice car or worldly status be as important in 30 years as it is now?  Will I look back and think I was a fool for pursuing some of the things I expend energy to chase now?  Probably.
  Faith is so challenging because God is working from an eternal perspective, but we are limited by space and time.  We think we have to squeeze so much out of this current life, when in fact God is trying to teach us that this life is preparation for the eternal.  We love selflessly now not at risk to ourselves, but rather because that is how we will live in eternity.  We aren't giving things up when we sacrifice, we're training our souls for the immortal bodies they will pull on at death.  God is trying to teach us to value the things that endure beyond the grave, but we often can't hear because our minds and hands and hearts are occupied trying to fill themselves with material treasure that is so alluring.
  And so we learn to daily die to ourselves, to empty ourselves and take up the values of God, to learn how to live now in the eternal, to let our hearts sing songs that echo beyond this kingdom into the very heart of God.

1 John 2:1-6

1 John 2:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  It's hard to have a puppy.  You know that when you get a puppy, you're going to have to get up in the middle of the night to let it out, and it's going to chew on things, and there will be messes... and yet it's worth it, right?  Because puppies...
  When God created us, God knew we would turn from him in sin.  And yet, God charted a way for us back to grace.  God didn't give us up for lost, but rather poured out mercy on our sin, blotting out our brokenness so that we could be healed.  God loves us enough to forgive us our sins.
  And so our lives are reflections of our gratitude.  If we live like God doesn't matter, 1 John is telling us that we are revealing our hearts.  And so my prayer, for myself and everyone else, is that God transforms the hearts and minds of those who follow him, that our lives may communicate the endless love and mercy of God our Gracious Father.

1 John 1:5-10

1 John 1:5-10
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  There are so many opportunities in life to try and make problems go away by ignoring them.  So few of them actually work.  That weed in your yard never gets any smaller on its own.  The crack in your windshield never shrinks.  The smell in the garbage can won't go away on its own.  And yet, so often our default response is to focus our attention elsewhere because we're unwilling to do the difficult work of moving towards a remedy, sometimes out of shame or embarrassment.  How many times have you avoided going to the doctor because it might be an awkward conversation?  I see this so often in our kids -- they don't want to say they did something because they're afraid they might get in trouble.
  When we this with sin, we thwart God's attempts to forgive us.  When we hide our sin, we refuse to allow ourselves to be washed in grace and made new in God's love.  He wants to forgive -- don't let pride keep you from confessing your sins to God.  Sin is ugly, but its power diminishes in the light of love.  Forgiveness is a free gift, and the love of God is unconditional.  Fall into grace.

1 John 1:1-4

1 John 1:1-4
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Ever since we moved, our basement has been a mess.  So many things ended up down there, many of them the kids' toys, most of which they forgot they owned as they moved on to something else.  Caleb spent the summer absorbed in sidewalk chalk, so he wasn't thinking of some of his toys that were in boxes in the basement.  I was cleaning down there Saturday and had pulled out a particular toy, and when he came downstairs he just started yelling 'Yes' because he was so excited to see this toy.  It made my day to know I had brought him such joy.
  In this letter, the author is telling us that sharing the Good News of the Gospel, the life-giving Word, brings them true happiness.  They love sharing all that God has done, and it brings them joy knowing that others are growing in their knowledge of Christ.
  How can we share the Gospel?  Does it bring us this kind of joy?  How do we love?  I don't know the best ways to share the Gospel in today's culture, but I do know that I want the Gospel of Christ to bring such joy to my heart that I can find true happiness in knowing that others are hearing and receiving the Good News.

Daniel 3:16-18

Daniel 3:16-18
English Standard Version (ESV)

 I love this section of the story.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are about to be thrown into a fiery furnace, and they truly believe God will save them.  However, they are prepared to not think any less of God if he doesn't!  They have such a strong belief in the sovereignty and majesty of God that if he doesn't intervene in their circumstances, it doesn't detract from his glory.  God is still great, and idols are still pathetic before his power.
  So when you go forth today, may you do so with such confidence in God's greatness that nothing can shake it.  When you go out into a life filled with busy-ness and noise and threats and violence and pollution, may you do so filled with the joy that comes from knowing that we not only worship the greatest power in the universe but also he knows you and loves you by name!!  There is so much that happens in the world, and just because we cannot see or understand exactly how God is at work doesn't mean that God isn't at work -- his power is not diminished when he doesn't intervene like we may want him to do.  God's glory is amazing, and may we trust fully in that!

John 20:24-31

John 20:24-31
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Much ink has been spilled over the results of the election.  Many media members who spent months getting it wrong are now explaining what the election means.  Many others are lamenting what might be in the future.  Still others are celebrating what is seen as a new era in politics.  A great many are in the middle, wondering what happens next, unsure of exactly what the road ahead now looks like.  It's a strange few days in American life.
  In uncertain times, we tend to grasp for whatever certainty we can find.  We look for comfort, for assurance that all will be well.  We need some greater truth to remind us that there is a rock in the midst of turbulent times.
  Thomas, too, was uncertain.  While there was talk of resurrection, he couldn't believe such a thing could be true until the risen Christ was standing before him.  He refused to accept anything less than concrete evidence.
  In these uncertain times, may the reality of the resurrection guard your heart and mind.  May we each believe that the church, the bride of Christ, will thrive regardless of whatever happens in the world around us.  When we cling to the eternal Word of God, we invest ourselves in a Kingdom that has no end, in a Kingdom that will not be brought down by swirling landscapes that change with the political winds.  We are sinners who have been saved, and the Good News of our salvation should be a constant joy and secure anchor in our lives.

John 20:19-23

John 20:19-23
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Here are the disciples, stunned at what has happened.  Their lives have been turned upside-down in the last week, having watched their Messiah parade into Jerusalem, then arrested under the dark of night, crucified, and yet here he is, alive and offering his peace to them all.  Even death has fallen beneath his feet, and in the midst of the celebration, they are charged to forgive.
  Jesus does this all the time -- he is constantly asking more of his disciples.  They are always pointed forward, looking to the Kingdom that lies ahead, asked to go out into a difficult and complicated world and share the peace of God.  It's never easy, especially when it comes to forgiveness, but it's how the world is changed -- one interaction at a time.
  Can you imagine what it might be like to look at every human interaction as pivotal in terms of the Kingdom of God?  What if you viewed each conversation as an opportunity to sow peace and love?  We recently had someone steal some valuable things from our house, and it's a real struggle to think about how God would have us treat the situation, setting aside our desire for revenge.  What's the best path forward that points to God's Kingdom?  We don't know the answer to that, but it definitely forces us to ask some tough questions about our gut reactions and how to let God challenge our assumptions about how things 'should' be.
  Remember, in human wisdom, death should have the final word.  God upends all of that, and sends us out to make sense of it in the world, enabled by the Holy Spirit to love without condition and spread the peace of Christ in all we do.

John 20:1-10

John 20:1-10
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 In the aftermath of large-scale events, there are often reports sent out with all sorts of wrong information.  People think they saw different things, and rumors spread like wildfire.  It takes time to figure out what happened.
  When Mary saw the stone rolled away from the tomb, her first thought wasn't resurrection, but it was theft.  Simon Peter and John ran to the tomb, determined to find out what had happened to the body of Jesus, and there in that place, they realized that something supernatural, beyond human reasoning, had occurred.  The rolled up piece of cloth that had covered the dead man's face testified to the greater truth -- resurrection had taken place, and the world would never be the same.
  There in that dark place, the future had changed forever.  Death no longer had the final word, and eternal life was now possible for all who believe.  Mary was the first witness to this, but it took her some time to understand and believe.  We, centuries later, stand in the tomb and must make the decision for ourselves -- do we believe in the incredible Good News?  We have centuries of scholars examining the evidence, and for the countless investigations that have taken place, no one has yet turned up evidence that the resurrection didn't take place.  I stand in the tomb and I believe in the future Christ taught.  Life is greater than death, and God's light has beaten back the darkness.

John 20:11-18

John 20:11-18
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I think everyone has had the sensation of searching for a pair of glasses, only to discover they are on your head.  I once thought someone had ran off with my wallet when in fact I was holding it in my hand.  Any more, we often panic because our phone isn't in our pocket, even if it's on the table next to us.  We grow accustomed to things being in certain places.
  With Jesus, we often wonder where he is.  In reality, Jesus never forsakes us, but he often shows up in ways that we might not expect.  We mistake his presence for something or someone else, and we wonder why Jesus isn't near, when in fact he couldn't be any closer, we just miss it for one reason or another.  Often it is because we are expecting something else -- the problem isn't with Jesus, but rather with our expectations.
  Mary expected Jesus to be dead.  Instead, he was very much resurrected.  Life had taken the place of death.
  And so Christ comes to us, very much alive and dynamic and asking much of us.  Christ is with us, always, but sometimes we have to tune our lives and hearts to hear him calling us in new ways.  He knows you by name, and calls you as the unique child of God that you are.

John 19:38-42

John 19:38-42
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  What happens when you realize that all of your resources are really Christ's?
  Here's Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man who had a new tomb, and though he had been following Christ in secret, he realized that this was the time for him to come forward and offer what he had for the sake of the church.  His resources set the stage for something amazing God was going to do.  He wasn't the one doing the miracle, but God used his resources to change the world.
  So what is it that you have that can be a vehicle for the grace and mercy and power of God?  Are you willing to entrust your resources to God, even if you don't have a full grasp of how God might use them?  I doubt that Joseph understood that his new tomb would be the setting for the resurrection.  But God's abilities aren't limited by our vision, or lack thereof.  So imagine what God might be able to do when we offer all we have and all we are to Him.

John 19:28-37

John 19:28-37
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Jesus died.
  The Son of God, the conquering hero who will one day return with a legion of armies to vanquish sin and death once and for all, died on a cross between two criminals.
  Death is such a looming fate, one that strikes fear and dread into the hearts and minds of us all.  It just sits there, drawing closer each and every day, and there isn't really anything we can do about it.  I always think it's strange when I hear about statistics of medicines that prevented death... but they don't really.  They just delay it.  We all die.
  But Jesus understands death.  He has been through it, and all of us who face death do so with the comfort of a Savior who knows the experience intimately.  Jesus died, and because he was willing to die, you and I don't face death as a final end, but rather as a veil through which to pass into eternal life.
  But know that death is not unique to us.  The Savior of the world died, and because he did, we can live.

John 19:23-27

John 19:23-27
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 There are two amazing things going on in this moment.
  First, Jesus is still fulfilling prophecies.  Even on the cross, at the moment at which the reign of death seems poised to triumph, everything is still unfolding according to plan.  God is in control.
  Second, Jesus is still worried about others.  Even in his torturous death, he is focused on caring for those he loves.  His mind is dwelling on how to care for his beloved.
  You are always on the mind and heart of Jesus, and he has always been preparing to save you.  Just let those truths dwell richly in your heart and mind today.

John 19:17-22

John 19:17-22
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Did you ever expect that your life would begin on a hill known as the Skull?  Is that the place from which your life springs?  When we kneel at the foot of the cross, do you recognize that life springs bursts forth, watered by the blood of the lamb and pouring forth, overflowing from one thirsty soul to the next, each one coming as broken and poor, miraculously rejuvenated and poured into by the Holy Spirit.  On the hill known as the Skull, where death seemed to have the upper hand, Jesus ascends a cross and demonstrates that death's conquest is but a momentary triumph, soon to be smashed by the hand of life, disassembled and defeated, vanquish by the One who comes to snatch life from the jaws of death.  You need not fear the place of the Skull, because Life Wins!  You need not cower before the icy embrace of death, because our God Wins!  You need not tremble at the uncertainty of the grave, because where execution was scheduled, a resurrection was beginning.
  Think of yourself, standing before a cavern, about to enter a place of utter darkness, and walking in boldly, head held high, because you have complete confidence that deep within the grave is a place of life and light and new beginnings.  The world may think we are foolish, and the Romans may have laughed at the sight of a King on a cross, but life courses through Him, and no spear can drain it from his veins, just as no tomb can hold his body, and no cross can take his life.
  Whatever charges were filed to place him on the cross, they were powerless to convict an innocent man, just as the accusations Satan makes against you will ultimately falter when they are dashed against the awesome power of Christ.  You are washed in the blood of the Lamb and you emerge white as snow, pure as the Christ who saves you from sin.  It isn't fair, and it's wondrous.  You are clean, saved from sin, destined for life, and no lie of the devil will snatch you from your loving Father's victorious right hand.  You have been given life, and that life is eternal life, abundant life, wondrous life that flows from the throne of grace and into the hearts and souls of every one who accepts Christ as Lord, Savior and King.
  We have been saved, friends, and so let us walk in the light of love, selflessly pouring ourselves out for the sake of the cross, unafraid of whatever uncertainty may lurk in the world, be it violence or political intrigue or interpersonal conflict.  May we stand in the face of the maelstroms of the world and declare that we believe in the power of God's selfless love to transform the world and the people in it, and may we strive to use our lives to declare the abundant power and grace of Christ, who laid his life down so that others may live.  May the same Spirit that led him selflessly to the cross lead us selflessly out into the world, declaring that our true life is not defined by dollars or status, but rather by the way that we give ourselves and let the love that saves us flow through us and tell a story of grace to all we meet.

John 19:8-16

John 19:8-16
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

  I imagine you know the feeling of going to a gathering where you aren't exactly sure what's going on or who's in charge.  You look around to your fellow participants and try to half-heartedly follow them, all the while peering around to see if you can discover who is really in charge.  Eventually, you just sorta give up and wait for something dramatic to reveal who is in charge.
  This somewhat resembles our spiritual life.  While we should be following the Word of God, instead we tend to listen to just about any voice in the cacophony.  We try to follow along with what everyone else is doing, but eventually our hearts get so confused we just settle into a routine and go through the motions, waiting for something dramatic when we will decide with conviction.  And so we go along, waiting.
  As the church, we are charged with being active voices in the crowd, going out and telling everyone that Jesus is the voice of Truth, the authority we need to listen to, the one true guide who will lead us into everlasting and abundant life.  We are charged with pointing to Christ, helping everyone filter out all the competing voices that lead our hearts astray.
  In this Scripture, Pilate doesn't realize who is really in charge.  The people in the crowd don't realize Jesus is the true King, so they listen to the voice of the religious leaders who tell them Jesus is a threat.  Only Jesus is confidant that God alone is leading everyone through this, guiding the world to ultimate redemption through the death and resurrection of Christ the King.

John 19:1-7

John 19:1-7
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Can you imagine how miffed Pilate would be if he were reading this story today?  Here he is, all set to make a fool out of Jesus, ready to humiliate him and mock him, and he ends up as the hero of the story.  When history looks at Pilate, they don't remember him for his power and renown -- they remember him as the one Jesus got the better of, even though he never would have guessed this teacher would have been able to do so.  He didn't realize how big the story was.
  Jesus doesn't seem to be in any position to win, but he does, just as he always does, just as he ensures the church always endures.  It is his body, and it will not be defeated.  Society has been ready to write the church off before, persecuting them to the point of feeding them to lions, but the church endures, because it is the body of Christ, and it shall not die.  That's why I don't buy into the anxiety about the church today -- there are certainly things the church needs to do differently, areas we need to reform, but we aren't going anywhere, because we are Christ's body, and we shall triumph in the end!

John 18:38-40

John 18:38-40
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 It's an injustice, right?  A guilty man is set free, and an innocent man is condemned to die.  It's worthy of our righteous indignation.
  But the crazy thing is that this reversal trickles down to us.  We, the guilty, are set free from our prison of sin and death due to the death of the innocent man.  His blood liberates us, even though we don't deserve our freedom.  It's a gift he gives us, and he allows this to happen.  It's not the power of the Roman empire that holds Jesus to the cross -- it's the power of God's love and his will for us to be free.
  So you have benefited from the death of an innocent man.  May we live in such a way as to honor this amazing gift.

John 18:28-38

John 18:28-38
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Jesus came to bring life, and the people demanded death.  When their own laws didn't allow him to be put to death, they went to their occupiers and asked them to put their Savior to death.
  Jesus came as the truth, and Pilate was wondering what the truth was.  He was asking the wrong question -- "Who is truth?" is what he could have asked, and the truth was standing before him.
  The light of the world was standing before him, but he could not see it.  The people refused to see it, so threatened were they by his changing of the religious order.  He was calling the people to God, but they weren't ready to hear his voice.  They stopped their ears and yelled for his death.
  Their sin is our sin, as hard as that is to admit.  I have sinned and denied Christ.  I have ignored him and preferred my own comfort.  I have built walls of my own kingdom and kept him out.
  So I fall on my face before God, and he offers grace and forgiveness to all who ask.  There is life on the other side of death, there is hope on the other side of despair, and there is a way forward through the cross of Christ.  Rejoice!

John 18:25-27

John 18:25-27
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 "Peter!"  We want to shout.  "Peter -- what are you doing?  You've denied Jesus once!  Don't do it again!"  We wonder at Peter's audacity to deny his Lord and Savior not once, but three times, when Jesus told him that this is exactly what he would do, and he does it anyway.  We wonder at how he could do such a thing...
  And then we go and do it ourselves, right?  We deny Christ when we sin, whether in our actions or our inactions.  We deny Jesus when we ignore the hurting and sorrowful and mourning.  We deny Jesus when we choose our own selfish actions rather than selflessness.  We deny Jesus when we choose not to risk the demands of love and instead opt for a safer path.  We deny Jesus in many ways, day after day.
  Peter denies Jesus three times this night, and he is sorrowful when he recognizes his sin.  It is even more sorrowful when we deny Jesus and fail to recognize our sin.  May we repent and be grateful for mercy.

John 18:19-24

John 18:19-24
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  The high priests hated Jesus -- they hated him for the threat he posed to their positions of power.  They were secure at the top of the religious food chain, but here came Jesus, preaching selflessness and sacrifice and submission, and they had spent so much energy securing themselves and their position that the idea of serving others had become repulsive to them.
  It's hard to follow Jesus -- there is a part of us that hates submitting to his Lordship, because our selfish hearts view it as sacrifice that costs everything but gains nothing.  We worry what we will get out of it.
  Jesus, however, paints a new picture, and it takes a lifetime of faithful obedience to train our hearts to understand this new paradigm.  He promises us the Kingdom, and he shows us the way to God -- he IS the way to God! -- assuring us that our sacrifice may seem painful at the time, but it is actually the road to blessing.  Jesus sacrifices for us, then fills our hearts with grace and love, pointing us outward, to share what we have received.
  But the high priests only view it as a threat.  They don't realize it is actually the road to satisfaction, if we are willing to receive what Christ offers.

John 18:12-18

John 18:12-18
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 It's easier when one person takes the fall, when they assume the blame that should rightfully be spread upon the entire group.  The blame falls harder on that one person, but the others are then free.
  What happens, then, is that the others who deserve the blame often forget their culpability.  They deny that they were guilty, even as the guilt eats away at them.  They shape their lives to isolate the memory of pain, and it erodes part of us.
  I believe that sin is still real, and that it has power over us.  When we forget that we are guilty, because Jesus took the full punishment of our sins, we shape our lives to avoid mention of sin.  We don't like thinking about it, so we ignore it, but it eats away at us.  We forget to be grateful for the freedom Christ has given us, and instead we become imprisoned to other lessor gods who promise us freedom at a lower price, albeit a freedom that often rings hollow after time.
  Peter's denial is complicated, driven by fear, unaware of the events circulating in the air that will take place in the coming days.  He reacts impulsively, and impulse leads us to protect our own skin.
  So let us not shrink back in culpability.  May we accept our sin and our role, and may we embrace the freedom that Christ gives us.  We must go through the cross to get there, but the light that shines on the other side is worth enduring the pain.

John 18:7-11

John 18:7-11
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Think of friction -- when things aren't going the way they are intended, it's challenging.  If you are driving in a rut and try to break out, it's challenging to overcome the borders of that rut.  If you've been doing the same thing every day for 20 years and try to change, it's hard to break free of old habits.  If your furniture has been sitting in the same spot in the living room for 7 years, there will be an indentation in the carpet, and you'll have to lift it to slide it anywhere -- there is resistance that has formed.
  If the plan had been for Jesus to live a long life and never suffer, then he would have resisted any change to that plan, right?  When the group showed up with clubs to take him by force, he would have joined Peter and fought back, right?  If human forces were trying to change God's plan, Jesus would have resisted.
  Instead, Jesus goes along with it, for this has been the plan all along -- Jesus would suffer and die like a common criminal, but God would use this suffering for the salvation of all humankind.  His death was not a deviation from the plan, but rather part of the plan all along.  I doubt Judas had a big enough vision to recognize the sovereignty of God over all of life, but his betrayal only moved the plan along, and Jesus didn't resist, for this was his cup to drink.
  All of this was so that you and I and every soul on earth might not be doomed by sin but rather freed by grace for life in Christ.  That's the plan.  Our responsibility is not to resist God's plan at work in our lives, but go along and join in with the work of the Holy Spirit leading us forward.

John 18:1-6

John 18:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 So the crowd, the ones with torches, lanterns and weapons, shows up and says they are looking for Jesus.  If I'm Jesus, I'm pointing in the other direction, saying "He just went that way."  It's dark, they'd never notice, right?  I'd totally be smirking as they stormed off in search of him.
  Instead, Jesus proclaims loudly who he is, even in the face of violent opposition.  He has NO fear, because he knows the outcome.  He trusts completely in the Father's ability to lead him through the valley of the shadow of death and into life on the other side.  He knows the world cannot harm him, and so he confronts the world's power, determined to display that true power doesn't come armed with clubs and weapons, but rather is rooted in selfless love.  God's love is infinitely powerful, beyond what weapons can hold, and Jesus roots himself in this.  He has no reason to fear because true life extends far beyond what the world can threaten.  This is why Jesus tells us not to be afraid of violence, because he knows that we are safe in the Father's arms, no matter what.
  So take shelter and comfort in the Father's arms.  His love is abundant enough to keep you safe, free from true harm, and even though we may die, in Christ we shall live!

John 17:22-26

John 17:22-26
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

 So let's say you're walking down the street and someone pulls up beside you in a car, gets out, hands you the keys and walks away, telling you that it's yours.  You'd be all sorts of suspicious, right?  It would have to be something shady, right?  That doesn't really happen, unless it's bizarre.
  We're so trained to be skeptical, we have trouble receiving what Jesus wants to give us.  He wants to transform our lives for the better.  He wants to change us from the inside-out, to eternally alter our destiny.  He wants the absolute best for us, and he wants to give it to us for free.  He has this free gift of eternal life that he is pouring into our lives, and all he wants is for us to receive it and be changed by his unconditional love.  That's what he wants.
  Will you open your heart today to receive this gift?  That's our role in the equation -- we get what Jesus is giving to us.

John 17:13-21

John 17:13-21
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  I love the way the Bible anticipates  In 1 Peter it talks about how Scripture was written so that people living centuries later would come to faith.  Here, Jesus is praying not just for his current disciples, but also for the disciples who would come years later, hearing about the Truth through the testimony of the current disciples.
  It's incredible to think that Jesus was looking forward to you.  You didn't end up here by random chance, and you haven't heard the Good News of the Gospel by chance -- Jesus was praying that you would hear the Word through the work of his body, the church, and he was praying that you would be kept safe from evil.
  That's an interesting prayer, that we be kept safe.  What does it mean to truly be safe?  We may think it means we are separated from anything that threatens us, but it often doesn't take much for us to not feel safe -- the threats can be imaginary at times, or we can take a distant action and be afraid that it will come near us.  So safety can mean a lot of things, but I think Jesus is praying that, in the midst of whatever might be happening in the world, we are so confidant in the love and presence and power of God that we can be at ease.  Even if the world seems to be closing in, safety is trusting so completely in God to know that we will not be separated from him, not even for an instant.

John 17:6-12

John 17:6-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 How would you feel if you discovered that your pastor prayed for you every day, by name?  What if you learned that the Pope prayed for you by name every day?  I imagine you would be honored, touched, and probably a bit more motivated to live with the holiness of God foremost in your mind.
  Well, here we have Jesus Christ, the Son of God, telling God that he is praying for his disciples.  What this means is that the Word made flesh, God with Us, lifts you up in prayer.  Jesus remembers you, and he has lived with the goal of bringing you into his kingdom.  He loves you, and he is seeking you.
  So when you are downhearted and dispirited and distracted, remember that the One who hung on the cross for the sake of the world loves you enough to pray for you, that you may feel the love and presence of God.

John 17:1-5

John 17:1-5
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 If we're being honest, and I'm not afraid to be, the concept of eternity blows my mind.  I try to wrap my mind around the fact that the earth is over 6 billion years old and that I will be alive for 80-100 of those years.  I think about the earth spinning on through space without me, and I shrink back in uncertainty, in fear.  I try and grasp my smallness, and it overwhelms me.  Eternity, life without end, is beyond what I can even begin to contemplate.
  And yet, Jesus defines it so gently, so clearly -- to know God is to touch eternity.  To know Christ is to begin to dwell in the reality of eternal life.  We don't have to grasp the timeline of God -- we simply have to dwell in his presence, and we get a taste of eternal life.  Eternity isn't about time or the lack thereof, it's about a relationship, about a person, about God.
  The more time you spend with God, the closer you draw to eternity.  The more effort you expend building a relationship with God, the more you begin to live in the eternal here and now.  It's a choice we all get to make, each and every day.  How will you lead your heart?

John 16:25-33

John 16:25-33
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 God loves you, and Jesus has defeated the world.  If you remember nothing else today, remember those two things.  Those facts can carry you through today, through the most difficult challenges you will face in life, through the veil of death and into eternal life.  God loves you, and his love is unbreakable, unceasing, and nothing will ever separate you from it.  Jesus has defeated the world, which means that no force can take you from the arms of the Father.  God loves you, and he is the most powerful force in existence -- you are safe in the arms of the Father, no matter how challenging the outside world may seem.

John 16:16-24

John 16:16-24
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Let's imagine you win the lottery tomorrow -- you'd have tremendous joy, right?  That would last for a while, but in time, be it weeks or months or years, studies show that your level of joy would be set at such a point that it would take even greater news to bring you the same exceeding jolt of joy.  It becomes even harder, because we compare news to the last big event in our lives.
  In other words, it's hard to sustain joy when we base it on the things and events in the world, because we need more and more.  We ask the world for more and more, and eventually we learn that our appetites can't truly be sated by the things in this world, because we were made for more.
  True joy, the lasting and eternal joy that comes from Christ, can sustain and amaze us day after day, because the joy we find in Christ is deeper than our minds can fathom.  We cannot plumb the depths of Christ and his amazing love, so we can truly lose ourselves in them, and the more we grow spiritually, the greater the depth of understanding and the deeper sense of awe we have.  God loves you, and his love is the only thing in this world that can build sustaining joy.
  If we base our moods on the happenings in the world around us, we will eventually find ourselves miserable, because they swing back and forth.  If, however, we root ourselves in the life-giving love of God, we will discover a joy that knows no end.

John 16:8-15

John 16:8-15
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Most people aren't in a big hurry to talk about sin.  Sin isn't very popular, especially in an age of doing whatever feels good & right.  The popular idea is that if you aren't hurting anyone else, it's ok.
  God, however, takes a bit of a different stance on the issue.  Scripture teaches us a lot about sin, and it's just as much about what we don't do as it is about what we do.  Whenever we turn from God, even if it's just in the very depths of our hearts and we don't say a thing out loud, we sin.  We are in constant need of forgiveness, and so we repent, asking God to forgive us and thanking God for the grace freely bestowed upon us.
  Humility isn't easy, but it's necessary.  We are sinners in need of a Savior, and the God who comes to convict us of our sin is the same God who liberates us from that sin.  We are free because of Christ, and so when Christ speaks to us of sin, let us remember that he does so out of love.

John 16:1-7

John 16:1-7
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Sometimes, I like to think about spending a week in Bora Bora.  If I'm honest, I'm not exactly sure where in the south Pacific it is, but I've seen enough pictures to tell me that I'd like to spend some time there.  It would be hard to leave, though.  You spend a week on some of the most beautiful beaches ever, and then at the end of it they (and your credit card company, who is going to want you to go back to work to pay for that) drag you back onto an airplane to go back to reality.
  Imagine what it's like spending 3 years with Jesus Christ, son of the Most High God, and then one day he leaves.  It'd be devastating, right?  You've spent 3 years with the One who could describe what it was like before creation, with someone who can raise the dead and produce endless amounts of bread, and then he leaves you.  How do you fill that hole?
  Many of us try to fill that Christ-sized hole with distractions in life, through our work or a hobby or an addiction or relationships.  We use all sorts of things, because we don't recognize that only the Holy Spirit can fill that void, revealing to us the love and presence of God that makes our life work.  Only God can fill that desire for a relationship with the Almighty, and so we receive the Holy Spirit and pray for his guidance and love.

John 15:18-27

John 15:18-27
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 It's always interesting when the Hugo Chavez's of the world have their people living in poverty while they are abounding in wealth and comfort.  It's easy to make proclamations when the results of such words won't touch your life at all.  I've got all sorts of advice for other people, but when it comes to issuing advice that will actually touch my life, I think twice about what I have to say.
  That's what makes Jesus such an amazing leader.  He didn't ask people to do what he wasn't going to do.  When he warned them of suffering that was to come, he was going to endure it first.  In fact, the very worst things that would happen would happen only to him.  He didn't pass the buck on anything -- in fact, the most terrible things (the consequences of human sin) he shielded his followers from suffering by taking it solely upon himself.
  In summary, Jesus sacrifices himself to make it better for us.  He doesn't ask anything of you that he isn't prepared to do himself, or that he hasn't undergone.  Jesus understands, and he is willing to pay whatever price is necessary to buy back your freedom.

John 15:7-17

John 15:7-17
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  When people are engaged in a true covenant-based relationship, something amazing happens.  It's no longer just about what you can get out of it -- but you're willing to sacrifice for the benefit of the relationship.  It becomes more than two separate people, and it builds each and every day into something deeper.
  Jesus is trying to teach the disciples that God wants to be in such a relationship with them.  Many of the people in the crowds come for the miracles and the free food, but they leave when things get challenging.  Jesus is trying to show us how staying faithful in the hard parts leads us into something wonderful, something indescribable, where God is for us and with us and we bring honor to the God of the universe by serving and loving him.
  It's a hard concept to grasp, selfless love committed to something that often comes across as ambiguous and hard to describe.  But Jesus shows us the depth of the Father's love and then invites us to trust him that it will be far greater than anything the world has ever known.

John 15:1-6

John 15:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

  Often when companies have very successful portions, those will be split off into their own companies.  They can then continue their growth as their own entity, unencumbered by ties to the parent company that may have been restraining them.
  Jesus teaches us that, as Christians, we need a different mentality.  When we're successful, it's easy to start taking credit for that and looking at other ties as restraints holding you back.  If you do this, however, you forget about the very thing that provides you life.  If you're a vine and you forget the crucial link back to the life-giving roots and try and strike out on your own, you'll soon discover that the real source of life is not self-provided, but comes from the branch.
  We need Jesus.  We can't live or thrive without him. Jesus invites us to dwell in the certainty of his grace.  The hard part is that to truly thrive, we'll be pruned every now and again.  This won't be easy -- and when it comes, we may start to blame the one who prunes us, not understanding that the pruning is crucial for our long-term sustained growth.
  So may we remember our roots, the source of our life, and look at the times of pruning as opportunities to continue to grow in the Spirit.

A Sermon for World Communion Sunday

Exodus 24

Mark 14

*********

This morning, I want to talk about our values.  Think, for a second, about what you value.  How does your life reflect that?  If someone else was given the facts of your life, detailing how you spend your time and energy, would they say that those are your values?

Quick question – what does a 4 year old value?  Besides not listening?

What do we in Columbus value on Saturdays in the fall?

What is valued by the country?

What about your company?  What do they value?  We recently learned what was valued at Wells Fargo in the wake of their corruption scandal – we discovered that they valued a yearly bonus more than maintaining integrity in their workplace.  The question now is whether they will ever be able to regain their once-clean reputation.

We learn about what companies value by examining their choices.  Companies or people will often proclaim their values, but it’s much more authentic to simply pay attention to their choices and infer their values from that.  What they say and what they do doesn’t always align.

So a good question for us, then, is to learn what God values.  If we are to be the people of God, seeking to imitate God in all we do, we should learn what matters to God and seek to duplicate those values in our own lives, right?  If we were serious about following God, no matter what, we’d want our lives to share the same values that God does.

So I think this reading from Exodus is helpful because it teaches us about how God is building community with his chosen people.  He invites them up onto the mountain to dine with him – it’s an amazing experience, and one that my imagination can’t even begin to wrap itself around.  What would it be like to eat dinner with God?  It would change you forever, right?  You’d never give in to the temptation to go back to your old and sinful ways, right?

This story is so touching for me in a lot of ways, because it really exposes a lot of my idols.  The leaders of the community dine with God, and then Moses goes up on the mountain for a little while, and it isn’t long before the community is making a golden calf.  How could these people let that happen?  They’d eaten dinner with God!  Wouldn’t that be a pretty persuasive argument?  How could that not shoot down any attempt to build a god made out of gold?

But we value control.  We value a god we can see and touch, one that is safe and won’t ask too much of us.  Make a god out of gold, put it on a pedestal and it’s a pretty easy relationship – this god won’t call you into uncomfortable and challenging places.  It won’t push you beyond your comfort zone.  It’s safe.

We know the real God isn’t like that, but we have some urge in our hearts to control God, to be in charge.  We value control.  God calls us to give that up, but it’s hard. 

So this passage from Exodus shows us what we value.  What does God value?

It’s amazing that in Mark, we learn about what Jesus does the night before he is wrongly put to death.  Here is Jesus, the most innocent and perfect man that ever lived, and the authorities of the church(!!!!) are trying to have him put to death for challenging their own comfort levels.  It’s a tragic story, but it reveals to us the depths of God’s love, showing us how patient and kind he really is. 

And here, the night before he is wrongly put to death, Jesus isn’t out appealing his sentence, trying to distance himself from his fate, doing anything to avoid death.  No, he shows that he values community above all else by sitting down with his friends at a dinner, gathering them around the table, and breaking bread together.  Jesus shows that in his last moments as a free man before his wrongful death, he wants to build community through sharing a meal together.  He wants to bring people together and let them be transformed by being in a community centered around the living God.  He wants them to be together, not isolated and going through life alone, unprepared for whatever storms may come.  Jesus knows that there is much coming that the disciples cannot predict or understand, and he wants them to face these challenges together, rather than as disparate souls, alone against the world.

So God values building Christ-centered community.  God values people coming together to share resources, to break bread together.  God values this, and so should we.

So my question this morning, is how are you building community?  How does this value live itself out in your life?  Are you reaching out to those around you?  It’s so easy to isolate ourselves – we have so much to do, and we’re often exhausted, and it’s easier to just get home, close the doors and relax. 

But that’s not our call.  Our call is to reach out to those around us, even those who might betray and hurt us, and be in community with them, so that we might all be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit.  That is what God values.

And so should we.

Let us pray

John 14:22-31

John 14:22-31
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Sometimes, our kids are quiet.  It doesn't happen very often, but every once in a while when one of them isn't singing or screaming or asking questions they will settle down and play quietly and this wonderful sense of peace breaks out in the house.  It's surreal, and I often don't know quite how to properly treasure such a moment.
  Jesus is telling me that such a respite from the noise of a household with small children isn't true peace.  The absence of conflict or the stillness of a moment isn't the kind of peace God brings -- God's peace is something more, something greater.  True shalom isn't merely the absence of something, but it's the presence of God that brings wholeness to the soul.  God's peace is lasting, eternal and leaves us completely at rest, body and soul.  It isn't something the world can provide, but it's something we must receive from God.
  So we should enjoy the moments of peace here on earth, but let us remember that they are only signposts that point the way towards the kingdom and peace that God alone can bring.

John 14:15-21

John 14:15-21
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  The Holy Spirit is a tough one for us.  How exactly do you describe it?  You can't see it or touch it, but it conveys the presence of God and guides us as Christians.  Though God is not physically present with us, the Holy Spirit is with us to remind us how God is near and will never leave nor forsake you.  The Holy Spirit is a constant presence in our lives, and yet it can be so difficult to grasp the reality.
  It's like explaining salt in food -- we often can't see it (unless you're eating in a Southern restaurant), but it's presence can certainly be sensed, sometimes stronger than others, and once you grow accustomed to it, you notice when it's not there.  Living near the ocean, salt can get into everything, and it can be felt in the air.  In the same way, when we abide with the Spirit year after year, it is part of our everyday life, and others can notice that there is something different about us. But try explaining salt and what it tastes like to someone who has never had it -- it's a hard concept to explain.
  God is always present, and God always loves you.  So often that is communicated through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  May we make room in our days to let the Holy Spirit lead us.

John 14:8-14

John 14:8-14
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  I think Jesus understands how hard it is to believe.  The disciples, the ones spending every day of three years with him, they're struggling to grasp how Jesus can be God.  Jesus is understandably patient and loving, trying to help them believe.  He tells them to trust in his word, and if his word isn't enough, he points to his actions.  Jesus is urging us to trust in him -- remember, his goal is not to lose a single sheep.
  And then he promises something amazing -- that the disciples will do even greater things.  He paints them a picture of an amazing future, and then reminds them that it will all be for the Father's glory.
  When you and I get discouraged, our vision tends to narrow to the immediate.  When I have a tough day at work and get home late, I get down and think it's always going to be like this.  When I get sick, I wonder if I'll always get healthy.  When I'm sad, I forget that I'll ever be happy again.
  Jesus, however, points to the long-term.  He tells us the amazing things that await us.  He reminds us of the glory of God that is in store in the future.  He reminds us that he is building us up for the future, for God's future, and that future is worth the wait.  In the darkest of nights, Jesus orients us towards the coming dawn.
  So be patient as you struggle with questions, with life.  Jesus has come for us, and he longs for us to grow into the future God has in store for us.  May the body of Christ surround you and remind you of that each and every day.