Wednesday, August 31, 2016

John 11:17-27

John 11:17-27
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  I once listened to a fascinating radio report about how different life is in languages without the ability to speak about the past as a possibility.  They cannot express the idea of things that might have been, and so there is no way to think about such things.  The report talked about how the people don't invest their time in wondering "if only".
  We've all done that -- we've wondered how things might have been different if...  Here, Martha asks this of Jesus, and we've probably asked the same thing of God, too.  If only God had intervened, then things would be different.
  Our vision is certainly limited to this time and place.  We can't see or know beyond it, so it's natural to ask God questions.  When we do, we are encouraged to remember that God sees life without the limitations of time and space -- death is not an end of life, but rather a beginning of a new way of life.  To grieve the past and lost opportunities is part of living in a fallen world, and it reminds us that we are in need of a Redeemer, a Savior who will set all things right.
  We are not wrong to mourn and  grieve and wonder.  These urges point us to how things will one day be, when we will no longer contemplate the past, but rather live and be lost in wonder, love and grace.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

John 11:1-16

John 11:1-16
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Caleb is terrified of thunderstorms.  They keep him awake at night, and the first signs of lightning leave him wondering what is to come.  Danielle -- she's afraid of dogs, no matter how small.  Dog are great until they get within about 6 feet of her, at which point they become furry balls of death.  Me?  I'm afraid of stuff, too, but let's not talk about my problems...
  Jesus wasn't afraid because he knew how the story ended.  That's the root of most of our fears -- uncertainty.  We don't know what the outcome will be, so we tremble in fear and imagine the worst case scenario.  Jesus already knew the outcome -- he knew that he would triumph and end up in eternal peace and bliss.  What could the world do to make him tremble?
  We see Thomas grasp and display what the Christian faith can look like here at the end.  The crowds in Judea were ready to stone Jesus to death, but Jesus was willing to go back.  Many of the disciples were afraid, but Thomas could see that death was not the end -- he was willing to follow Jesus even to his death, because he trusted in Jesus that death did not have the final say.
  How would your life change if you could trust in Jesus that fear would not have the last word in your life?

Monday, August 29, 2016

John 10:34-42

John 10:34-42
Contemporary English Version (CEV)


  When someone famous wants everyone to realize how important they are, what do they point to?  Their accomplishments -- they refer to what they have done and how great they are, and this is supposed to make us admire them.
  What does Jesus do?  He points to God.  He refers to Scripture.  When he does talk about his own actions, it is to confirm the will and strength of God, rather than himself.  Everything in his past has been to confirm the power of God working in and through him -- it's not about Jesus, but it's about glorifying God.
  Every day, we have a choice about whose kingdom we are going to contribute to -- we can join with what God is doing in his kingdom, or we can seek to strengthen the walls of our own.  One of these will last forever and will never know darkness, while the other will fade away in time.  In one, you will reign with Christ forever, and the last enemy will be destroyed.  The other will be buffeted over the years, with storms raging within and without, and you will often feel powerless.
  Which kingdom will reign in your heart today?

Friday, August 26, 2016

John 10:22-33

John 10:22-33
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  If I tell you that I am the world's strongest man, it's an audacious claim, especially since I don't exactly look like a muscular guy.  But if I tell you this after demonstrating my other-worldly strength, you'd be more willing to believe me, even though I may not look the part.  Some people, however, would never be convinced, simply because I didn't fit their expectations of what a strong guy should look like.

  Jesus came as the Son of God, and he first demonstrated his power and authority through his miracles and teaching.  Many followed him, convinced by his acts and words that he was exactly who he said he was, even if they weren't exactly how such things can be true.  Other people were convinced from the start that it couldn't be true, and it didn't matter what Jesus did - they were never going to believe.  Their hearts were hardened by their own certainty, and the risks of believing were simply too great.

  So which group should we belong to?  The type who is certain that we understand how the world will work, or the group humble enough to believe without certainty?  Will we trust in the Spirit when we are called to love and serve, or will we wait until all questions are answered before venturing out in faith to serve God in new ways?  Will we take seriously the call of Christ to come and die, or will we grasp tightly onto our lives and our things, believing that we need more proof before we risk anything?

Thursday, August 25, 2016

John 10:7-21

John 10:7-21
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

   We've rented before and we've owned, and there is definitely a different mindset, even if you don't intend for it to be that way.  When you rent, there isn't a sense of pride in the place -- you take care of it, but you aren't committed to its long term well being.  You don't think the same way about things, and you're less likely to make improvements that may hurt in the short term but be long-term beneficial.  When you own, the commitment level is completely different.
  This is the point Jesus is driving at -- he is the shepherd, and the sheep belong to him.  He loves them in a way that a caretaker would not -- he is committed to your long-term well-being, and he loves you with a ferocity that is unmatched by someone not willing to die for the sheep.  He isn't just a hired hand -- he knows each and every sheep, and he loves us beyond compare.  He was willing to pay any price to secure our eternal freedom from sin and death, and even though that meant death on a cross, Jesus was willing to ascend the cross so that we might have life with him.
  Some people thought he was crazy.  They couldn't understand the love the Father had for them, the depths to which God would go to redeem his people and God's willingness to take on human flesh to save us from our sins.  They thought they could save themselves
  We call him Savior, because we understand the mess we were in and we are grateful that God was willing to do any and everything to redeem us from sin
  Thanks be to God!

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

John 10:1-6

John 10:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  I don't know if you've ever seen the movie Glory, but there's an amazing scene towards the end.  The soldiers are standing on the beach preparing to attack a hardened fort, and there is a recognition that the mission will surely be the last moments for many of them.  There is no denying the risk -- it is staring them in the face.  To go first is the most risky place of all.
  In our lives of faith, Jesus leads.  He doesn't ask us to do anything he has not already done himself.  Whatever fear we may face, he has trod that path, and he knows the things that lurk in the depths of our hearts in our most uncertain moments.  Where we go, he has already been, and he has assured us that there is no fear we face, no valley so deep, that we will not overcome it through his power and grace.  His love is enough for us, even in the face of death, the biggest fear that lurks for us, and we shall overcome and emerge triumphant into the light of day on the other side of fear.
  One day, there shall be no more fear or uncertainty.  Until that day, trust that God has already been wherever we might go, and he does not send us to face such fears on our own, but walks with us on the path.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

John 9:34-41

John 9:34-41
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  I don't know how many of us would ever say it so directly, but we probably act at times like the Pharisees here -- "Do you think you can teach us anything?"  We don't set out to have this attitude, it just develops over time.  We get set in our ways and are unwilling to be shaken out of our convictions.  We stop listening to things that challenge us, and we selectively opt for messages that keep us comfortable.
   Remember, the Pharisees didn't want to oppose the Messiah.  They didn't set out with the hope of becoming the arch-enemies of the Savior of the world.  They didn't grow up hoping to be the bad guys in the greatest story ever told.  They were trying the best way they knew to love and honor God.
  The problem was that they were so certain of what they knew that they were unwilling to let themselves be challenged.  They were unwilling to admit that they might be wrong, and they were over-committed to their certainties.  They thought they had the market cornered on religion, when in fact their hearts had drifted far from God.
  So let us wake every morning with a humility that drives us to confess our sin and depend on God, and may we go out into the world ready to be surprised, willing to love and serve all, trusting that God alone has all the answers.

Monday, August 22, 2016

John 9:24-33

John 9:24-33  
Contemporary English Version

 The man who was once blind can now see, and he doesn't understand why the Pharisees don't see things the way he does -- a miracle has occurred, and it has changed his life -- he doesn't see the cynicism and confusion that others have.
  This happens to us quite a bit -- we are in awe of something amazing, or we are sideswiped by something that has struck our life.  We are consumed by it, our attention is drawn to it -- but others react very differently.  We try and tell our side of the story, but they only hear what they want.
  We can't control how others react, but we can control how we interact with them -- we can be honest and selfless, sacrificial and loving, kind and gracious.  We can tell the truth from our perspective, and trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to do the rest.  We can't change others -- we can only invite them to experience the same transformation God has given us.

Friday, August 19, 2016

John 9:13-23

John 9:13-23
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  What would you say about the man who saved your life?
  The Pharisees are busy trying to figure out everything -- they value head knowledge so completely that they are afraid to leap into faith without fully understanding exactly what it happening.  This isn't bad to a point, but there comes a point where knowledge replaces faith -- we stop believing and trusting and are willing to believe in only what we can know and grasp in our minds, and at that point we necessarily have to shrink God down to something that can fit inside our minds, when the most amazing thing about God is that he is bigger than anything we can comprehend -- his greatness is beyond us.  He is worthy of our worship because he exists in a different way and yet still comes to us in Jesus Christ.  He is greater than we, and yet serves us with a humility born in love.
  So what do we say?  We can only state the simple facts as they are, and let them be an invitation for others to come to the waters, to taste and see, to discover the God who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  He is the Messiah, and yet we can only point to him, inviting others to discover him for themselves.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

John 9:1-12

John 9:1-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 I once attended a seminar where the leader described this man as the most honest man in the Bible.  He doesn't say much beyond the simple truth of what occurred -- he just describes what Jesus has done for him, and lets the evidence of his transformed life proclaim the rest.
  I think that we often feel intimidated because we don't know the perfect things to say.  This is further compressed because we hear the beautiful language of others and feel as though we'll never match such proclamation.  We let our fear of imperfect words keep us from saying anything.
  This man, he just tells the simple, straightforward truth.  He doesn't dress it up or try and embellish -- he simply tells the facts, and he lets his life speak where his words might not tell the whole story.
  What story does our life tell?  Does it match our words?  Does it point to Christ?  Could someone read the Gospel off its pages?
  Tough questions, but worth asking, I believe.  When the reality of our shortcomings confronts us, we are forced to recognize our reliance on grace and can only then grow in our trust of God.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

John 8:48-59

John 8:48-59
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 You can sense the people pushing up against the eternal here.  Their minds, limited by time and experience, aren't quite able to grasp what Jesus is saying -- he's pointing to the reality of God that exists beyond what we can see and hear and experience, and the people are struggling to go with him, because to truly understand this it requires a leap of faith and trust.
  Even now, looking back and knowing that Jesus has risen from the dead, knowing all the prophecies that have come true and how the church has endured and triumphed through the years, we still wrestle with the leap of trust required to believe that Jesus Christ IS God, that he exists in a place beyond time and space and invites us into an eternal reality and life-giving relationship that is completely different and yet similar to the goodness and love we experience here on earth.
  How do we live into this trusting relationship?  We build it, day by day, leaning into the grace and love and peace of God.  It doesn't always come at once -- but happens slowly, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and we slowly discover the leadership of God, growing deeper each and every day until one day we awake into the eternal reality of the Kingdom of God.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

John 8:39-47

John 8:39-47
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  If I'm a salesman, I'll tell you anything you want to hear in order to close the deal.  I want your business and your attention, so I'll shape my message to soothe your mind so that nothing will distract you from following me.  Much of the prosperity Gospel that is preached today is the same basic idea -- people shaping the Gospel so that it only delivers good news and promises worldly things that attract attention and capture the hearts and minds of people, even though it requires distorting the Gospel in order to do so.
  Jesus didn't mince words.  He didn't hold back, because he knew that people needed to see and understand the reality of sin.  Without a full grasp of how lost we are, we don't fully appreciate what God, in Jesus Christ, has done for us.  Without understanding exactly how dark it is, you can't be grateful for a light.  Jesus shows us the reality of sin, and then points to himself as the path out of sin and despair and hopelessness.  He doesn't come to condemn -- he points out that we would have been condemned, and then steps into our place to receive our punishment so that we might receive eternal life.
  The reality of our sin, a crushing weight lifted from us by grace, is something we try and avoid, but to face it and confess it is the better way -- then, rather than trying to avoid it, we move through it and into the light of grace on the other side of sin.

Monday, August 15, 2016

John 8:31-38

John 8:31-38
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 There's no such thing as a free lunch, right?  Everything costs us something -- it captures us in some way, taking our time or energy or part of our hearts.
  We often delude ourselves into thinking we are free -- sin has so tainted much of this world, that we don't even recognize how much of our lives it has captured.  We fool ourselves into thinking that our greed or selfishness or pride doesn't change the way we think.  Sin is so a part of our lives that we fail to realize the power it has over us.  The people Jesus is talking to have no idea that they are not free.
  What Christ offers us is a true freedom, a freedom that acknowledges the pervasive ways sin and death have wormed their way into our hearts.  This freedom isn't held captive by the impending fear of death.  This freedom is possible because it rescues us from an age-old problem and redeems us, breaking the chains of sin and offering us the eternal life for which we have been made.
  The best part?  It's a free gift, given by God, given to save us.

Friday, August 12, 2016

John 8:21-30

John 8:21-30
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Think about verse 26 -- Jesus could say more to condemn us, but he chooses not to.  Instead, he offers grace.   There is unconditional forgiveness found in Christ, even though he knows of our guilt.
  I remember as a kid when I knew I had done something wrong.  It was even worse when I knew that my parents knew I had done something wrong -- I cringed, waiting for punishment, afraid of what was to come, knowing I deserved it.
  We can come before God like this, afraid of what might come, afraid of the punishment we deserve.  But thanks to Jesus Christ, we don't have to relate to God out of fear.  We can approach the throne of grace with boldness, knowing that Jesus Christ has left the comforts of heaven so that we might be free from the burden of sin and death.  He has removed our guilt from us, taking it upon ourselves, so that we might share the crown of righteousness that is rightfully his.  When God sees us, he sees us as the pure and spotless children that we are in Christ.  We are not filthy and covered in sin, even though we may feel that way.
  So may you be released from your guilt.  May you feel the freedom of Christ and revel in the joy of eternal life.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

John 8:12-20

John 8:12-20
Contemporary English Version 

  When the lights first come on in the morning, they are blinding in their brightness.  You can't see a thing as your eyes adjust to the light.  In the same fashion, turning out the lights at night at our house means shuffling feebly along, hoping you don't step on a toy you might have missed before the lights went out and you were blinded for the first few minutes.  It takes a second to get used to the darkness.
  When Jesus comes, the light that shines in the darkness was suddenly very present on earth, and it was clearly blinding in its intensity, disorienting so many people who were seeking God.  They turned away from the light because of how different it was from their darkness -- rather than force their eyes to adjust to this new reality, they turned to the familiarity of the darkness and shielded themselves from the light.
  Accommodating to the reality of Christ in our lives is challenging.  We have to alter our vision from what we are accustomed to, and adapting to daily dependence on the Holy Spirit is not easy.  It takes a constant commitment to be uncomfortable until we adjust to the reality of God's love and unconditional grace.
  It is a stark contrast between the two, and it might be tempting to choose what is easy.  But to live in the light... that is the life that is truly life, the eternal and wondrous life God has in store for us!

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

John 7:53-8:11

John 7:53-8:11
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

 It feels good to be right, especially when you are affirmed publicly.  It's even better when you being right means that someone else is wrong, isn't it?  You look even better in contrast.  We spend a lot of time doing this -- looking for someone else to be wrong so that we can look even better.  If you have paid even a moment of attention to politics, you know this is how it works -- it's not just about winning, but it's as much about making your opponent lose.
  The Pharisees really enjoyed pointing out the sins of others.  They would run around and try to find other people who were busy sinning, because in doing so, they could look even better, even more righteous.  While they couldn't achieve perfection, they could look darn close by making everyone else look downright rotten.
  Jesus, however, isn't really interested in our efforts to prop ourselves up by the sins of others.  Jesus is interested in our hearts, and our own relationship with God, which should affect our relationship with others (it should be challenging to hold malice towards others when we have been forgiven of so much).  Jesus wants us to recognize our own brokenness and cast ourselves on the grace of Christ, worrying not about the sins of others but instead just focused on the grace and love of Christ.
  Notice, too, the charge Jesus gives her.  She is free from her sins, but she is charged with a responsibility -- to go and sin no more.  This is certainly impossible, but our transformation in Christ is not a one time thing.  It affects the rest of our lives, and we, too, are sent forth on a mission.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

John 7:45-52

John 7:45-52
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  No one has ever spoken like Jesus.  No one else can speak directly to the heart, because it is Christ who has formed our hearts, Christ who knows us intimately, as no one else can.  Christ can speak to our deepest needs, because no one else truly understands exactly what the heart longs for.  We often end up confused, because the voices of the world intermingle with the calling of the Spirit, and even when we think we know what is good, we discover that we have distorted the message of Scripture.
  And so Christ speaks to us, speaks with power directly to us, and our hearts and minds are captured in ways the world has never known.
  Our first job, then, is to listen.  God spoke in the beginning, and he has been speaking ever since.  Like most conversations, I often try to talk before I listen, thinking that what I have to say is more important.  In prayer, in worship, throughout our days, we are called to listen to what God has to say to us, to be still and let him lead us, to be quiet and trust, resting in him.  Only then can we truly move forward.

Monday, August 8, 2016

John 7:40-44

John 7:40-44
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
  Jesus is shining in the world, but the world isn't sure exactly what to do about it.  Some seem to grasp the eternal truth of Jesus' kingship, while others debate just who this man could be.  Some seem ready to follow, while others want certainty before they commit.  Some want to arrest him while others want to worship him.
  It's tempting to want certainty, or to at least hope for some critical mass to form before we commit ourselves to a cause.  It's risky to reach out on a limb, to take something on faith, especially when one might be criticized for such a stance.
  And yet Christian faith calls us to do just that.  The risk is different now than it was 2,000 years ago, but it's still a risk.  What if this isn't true?  What if others mock us for submitting to Christ, for sacrificing, for offering ourselves to a God who often appears distant?
  We are not only called to follow, but to encourage others to follow as well, to cry out in the midst of an uncertain crowd that the light is shining in the darkness and calling them to follow as well.  We aren't simply to be silent, but to form relationships with those around us and call them to reach out in faith as well.

Friday, August 5, 2016

John 7:37-39

John 7:37-39
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 I've been thirsty before, but we're talking mowing-the-lawn-on-a-hot-day thirsty, not walking-across-a-hot-desert-with-no-water thirsty, which is in an entirely different league.  I cannot imagine what it would feel like to be stranded somewhere with no hope of finding any satisfaction for your parched throat, only the merciless sun beating down, taunting your condition.
  And yet, that's how we would be without Christ.  We would be slaves to sin with no hope of relief, no promise of deliverance from the ravages of sin and death.  We would be in bondage with no thought of freedom, parched with no dream or hope of salvation.  Without Christ, we would wander through a sin-drenched wilderness and never find relief from the suffering.
  With Christ, however, two things happen.  One is that we realize the full weight of our sin.  The illusion of sufficiency is dropped and we recognize the state of despair in which we live.  We realize that sin taints our every effort, it lives in every relationship, it twists our thoughts and our hearts.  But the second thing is even more amazing -- that our thirst for hope and goodness and love and joy is not unquenchable, but we can drink from the purest, highest, most wondrous source ever, the author and perfecter of life itself.  In Christ, we go from despair to joy, and we are invited into an eternal journey of love due to his willingness to pay the price of our sin, to absorb all of our thirsty wandering, so that we may drink of his love forever.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

John 7:32-36

John 7:32-36
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  In the defense of the Jewish leaders, this is about how I feel when someone is giving me directions -- they are speaking, and words are going into my ears, but I'm not really listening.  Maybe if they had let women be leaders at the time, they would have understood what he meant to say.
  I think it was C.S. Lewis who said that it wasn't the parts of the Bible he didn't understand that worried him -- it was the parts he did understand.  Jesus isn't always clear about what he means, and I can understand if the Jewish leaders have a hard time putting this together, but God is often very clear about what is expected of us, about how we are to live and relate to each other, and about what our priorities are supposed to be.  We spend a lot of time arguing about the parts we aren't certain of, but we sometimes tend to ignore the parts that are pretty clear.
  So let us come to God, remembering that he is a God of mercy and kindness, ready to forgive us for falling short in many aspects, eager to send us back into the world to love and forgive and bless and be used for the greater glory of God.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

John 7:21-31

John 7:21-31
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Imagine waiting for something for 35 years.  At a certain point, you become so accustomed to waiting, so glued to the idea that it will never come, that you become skeptical of anything that promises to be the thing you are waiting for.  The idea of waiting becomes more central, and at a certain point you've stopped waiting and are simply living a life centered around a wholly different idea.
  The Pharisees achieved this.  Waiting for the Messiah had become something different -- they weren't ready for the Messiah -- in fact, in some ways they preferred the status quo.  It was comfortable to them.
  So when we ask God to change us, to make our hearts new and refresh us by the Spirit, we need to do so with the awareness that God just might act on us.  God might indeed come, blowing the doors off our hearts and scattering the dust everywhere.  God might challenge our assumptions and call us to new ways of being, even if we're not truly prepared for it.
  When you pray and ask God to open your eyes to the working of his Spirit, to change your heart to follow him more faithfully, are you ready for God to truly do so?  Are you open to the fact that God might call us to do things we say we'd like to do but secretly are afraid of?  Are you ready to give it all to God?
  It's hard to think of our prayers being answered so dramatically, which is why it's important to hang on the Word of God daily, to be reminded of how great God is and how he will always challenge us to grow and comfort us when we fail.

John 7:10-20

John 7:10-20
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  C.S. Lewis talked about how there can be only two true reactions to Jesus Christ -- he is either certifiably crazy or he is Lord of the universe, but he cannot be anything else.  He is not simply another good teacher or a nice man who wanted to help people.  He made claims to be the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and the religious leaders recognized the threat that he was and put him to death for such claims.
  We cannot react indifferently to Jesus.  His claim to be first in our hearts must be met with either resistance or with submission, but to simply let him dwell among other, lessor gods is to reject his claims.  To follow him is to seek to put him first, to reject the false gods that try to claim our loyalty.  It is an active thing, submitting to Christ daily, and each morning should start with an effort to serve him in all things that day.
  The crowds in his day marveled at what he taught.  May we marvel as well, doing so in awe because we know that the man who claimed to be Lord is the same man who predicted his own death and resurrection.  That man, I will follow anywhere.

Monday, August 1, 2016

John 7:1-9

John 7:1-9
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 I think we sometimes forget how disruptive Jesus' claims can be.  We've heard them for so long and our culture is so accustomed to them that they don't carry the same power they would have in 1st century Jerusalem to the first people to hear his claim.  The entrenched religious leaders of the day did not consider Jesus' message to be good news -- they saw him as a threat and would do anything to get rid of him.  Jesus' claim to be the Messiah was not welcomed.
  In a way, we need to be disrupted by the Gospel message.  We need to let Jesus point out all the points where we are straying, and we need to learn not to be defensive.  When Jesus points out our sin and our idolatry, he does it not to condemn, but rather as a doctor defines our illness to heal us, Jesus points out our sin so that we might find forgiveness and healing.  Jesus' love for us is infinite, and he wants us to be healed, to find wholeness that is only available in Christ.
  The first century religious leaders were so closely wedded to their ideas that they were unwilling to let Jesus change their hearts.  They struck back.
  Will we listen with humble hearts, trusting in our King that he has our best interests at heart, longing for us to be made whole.

*******

  Once again, I'm riding in Pelotonia this year.  It's an amazing event -- the entire city of Columbus rallies around the life-changing cancer research being done here at Ohio State.  100% of every dollar raised goes directly to cancer research, and I'm proud to do my part so that one day we will be able to say that cancer is a thing of the past, no longer stealing away precious time and precious memories.
  If you'd like to donate, please click here.