Genesis 7:1-6

Genesis 7:1-6 

English Standard Version 

  The other day, I was invited to a young adult event and I had to decline because, alas, I am no longer a young adult.  One can debate that I probably haven't been qualified for a while, but past 40 with 3 kids... definitely not a young adult.  

  We disqualify ourselves for all sorts of things.  We think we're too old for this or that, and we wonder if God is still at work in our lives.

  Well, Noah was 600 years old when the rains came and flooded the earth and he sustained creation by keeping animals in the ark for almost a year. 

  So no, you're not too old for whatever it is you may think you're too old for!  God's not finished with you yet.  No matter where you are in life and in faith, God has a next step for you -- but it's up to you to discern the will of God and follow wherever the Holy Spirit leads!

Genesis 6:19-22

Genesis 6:19-22 

English Standard Version 

  This passage is rife with jokes and questions.  We can ask why Noah included mosquitoes, and whether the Huntsman spider was really necessary.  (Haven't heard of the Huntsman spider.  Google it... I'll wait.  I don't know where it falls on the seemingly very long list of Australian animals that would like to eat you, but my desire to visit Australia drops with every animal I learn about on the list.)  Can you imagine Noah standing at the door of the ark watching every creeping thing creep into the ark and wondering why he had to keep such things alive?  (Although, I suppose there's no record of animals that Noah perhaps 'forgot' to include.  Maybe Noah spared us from something worse than mosquitoes....)

  Verse 22 is so simple and complex to me.  Noah did as he was commanded, and he did it all.  When God told him to do something, he just did it.  

  Here, he's joining with Adam in exercising wise dominion over the animals.  They're potentially in peril, and so to care for them, he has to actively uproot his life, sacrificing much, and save them.  It benefits him in the long run, but he doesn't realize this at the time.

  There's probably something in your life that you've sacrificed for in the short term that benefits you in the long run.  Maybe it's children you've cared for or a job you've poured yourself into or a skillset you've worked to develop or a relationship that you've cultivated.  It could be anything -- but it takes a long-term view.

  Discipleship is no different -- we grow, over time, into people that learn more about God and God's grace, and over time, we fall more deeply in love with God, and over time, it's easier to obey, because we learn to trust God and we learn that this will benefit us in the long-term.  Sometimes, that long-term is eternal, because maybe we can't see the benefit this side of heaven, but the time and effort we invest into our prayer life and into our church communities and into our relationships... this is never wasted.  God is growing us up.  

  Like Noah, you're called to care for creation, as well.  We exercise prudent dominion.  Maybe it's caring for a pet, maybe it's joining in environmental care activities... could be any number of things.  But it's a long line of Christian tradition to care for this earth that God has made and given us dominion over.

Genesis 6:11-18

Genesis 6:11-18 

English Standard Version 

  God has existed for all of time, and it's always been in relationship.  The trinity is hard for us to wrap our minds around, but we know that God has always been leaning into one another.  When God created, the other two members of the Trinity were present.  God has always existed in relationship, and so if God didn't have humanity, God would still have relationships.

  And yet, when God created, humans were invited into that relationship.

  What an incredible privilege.  Here is God, holy and perfect and transcendent.  Here are we... not those things.  

  And yet God invites us into the relationship.  

  When God decides to start over, God maintains the relationship with us.  God sustains humanity. Not all of it.  Not most of it, unfortunately, but God sustains us for relationship, for that's what we're made for, and God has a vision of what the future will look like, and we're in that.

  You are a child of this covenant, the one that survived through the ark.  God sustained humanity so we could continue to be part of the relationship, and when all appeared lost with humanity, God sustained us in relationship through Jesus Christ.

  Thanks be to God!

  

Genesis 6:5-8

Genesis 6:5-8

English Standard Version 

  Anyone who's ever seen my art can tell you that I'm not much of an artist.  When I was 5, I made a pretty solid turkey using just my hand and some paint.  That was probably the high point.  Everything since then has lacked.... a lot.  

  But if I were an artist, and make something beautiful, I'd grieve to see it destroyed.  Imagine being a painter and watching someone throw your painting into a fire, sobbing as the paint melted and the flames ate away at the canvas.  Imagine being a sculptor and witnessing someone destroying a piece with a hammer, breaking off the fingers and toes that you labored over those many hours.  

  If you can imagine this, you can relate to the grief God experiences as humanity destroys itself, devouring one another as we compete for power and status, yet no one is winning as we all lose.  The tears we must make God cry are surely heavy with grief.

  Such is the love of God that we are not destroyed, and yet rather saved.  God reaches down, God reaches out, and in the midst of grief, finds something to love.  It reminds me of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane -- all he asked of the disciples was that they might stay awake and pray with him, and yet they instantly fall asleep.  Rather than criticize however, he compliments, saying their spirits are willing and yet their flesh is weak.  

  God's always seeing the best in us, even when we cannot see it ourselves. In the midst of our brokenness, friends, there is reason to hope, because of the indomitable love that God has for us!

Sermon from Judges 14 for June 26, 2022

The Cartographers (Peng Shepherd)

   What a great book.  

  In the beginning, I thought I knew where it was going.  I assumed The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd was another mystery.  An engaging tale that will keep the pages turning, but not memorable.  I've read a lot of these books over the years, and after a few pages, I generally know where they're going and enjoy the path along the way.

  But this one surprised me.  It took some sudden turns, venturing into the magical, asking questions about the purpose of maps and how relationships are transformed by pivotal events.  How do maps shape the world?  What power do they have?  

  And how do secrets change relationships?

  There are some imperfections about the plot, and the characters aren't as refined as I would have hoped, but overall, it was a thoroughly good read that I enjoyed and devoured!

Ezekiel 3:1-3

Ezekiel 3:1-3 

English Standard Version 

  How do you think about a balanced diet?  Maybe you strive to hit all the major food groups each day.  Maybe you're focused on vegetables or eating enough whole grains.  I like to be sure I eat enough potato chips.  It's an overlooked food group.  

  When you think of a balanced diet on information you take in, do you include Scripture?  I've always thought about this text as a way to understand the importance of taking in Scripture, but what about the idea of ensuring that we have a balanced diet of information, so that we recognize the importance of taking in Scripture.  For our own mental and spiritual health, we should be consuming Scripture.  Just like avoiding a food group might be unhealthy, it might be unhealthy for us to not take in Scripture on a daily basis, for it contains things we need -- reminders that we are sinful and yet redeemed, and also a reminder that the world doesn't depend on us, so we can rest in the grace and love of God!

Acts 12:20-24

Acts 12:20-24 

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever been in a forest and stood next to a cliff where there are large boulders?  If so, you've probably seen trees growing in seemingly-impossible places.  Trees grow through the boulders, or they root themselves in trace amounts of dirt and their roots surround the boulders.  It always looks like it should be impossible for trees to grow in some of these places, but they find a way.  Never ceases to amaze me when you watch as the roots trace a path towards water, towards life, stopped by nothing.

  That's the Gospel.

  So many rocks, like Herod and Pharaoh and Pontious Pilate, have stood proudly, thinking they'd win, thinking that surely they'd squash the Gospel beneath their strength.  Surely a movement of ordinary people like this couldn't outlast them, couldn't resist their might!  

  But the Gospel finds a way.

  Like roots from a resourceful tree, stretching this way and that, finding life, following some built-in signal that seeks out life, that refuses to be stopped.  The beating heart of the Gospel outlasted Pharaoh and Herod and so many other rulers.  Like a river running towards the sea, it sweeps up so many in the course of history, gathering us up in its arms and carrying us towards eternity.  

City on Fire (Don Winslow)

   I've never read The Godfather, but I've seen the movies.  Not what I want to watch on a relaxing Sunday afternoon, but in a certain time and place, they're great drama.  The way the relationships twist and turn, the glimpse into a world that is completely foreign -- it's captivating.  

  Don Winslow's City on Fire is like that.  It's a novel about a battle between the Irish and Italian mobs in Providence, Rhode Island.  It starts small, and then one slight by one party must be answered by the other, and it escalates, because any slight against one's honor must be met with strength.  Any sign of weakness is blood in the water, and there are plenty of sharks in this tale.  Some are trying to make their name, while others are just trying to skate through, just trying to survive.  It's a small world, but it's all that some people know, and they're trying desperately to keep the walls from collapsing.  City on Fire is hard to put down for that reason, because everything is falling apart, but when everyone you know and everyone you love is on the line, do you run and save yourself, or do you stay and fight, even if you know that you'll lose?

Acts 12:12-17

Acts 12:12-17 

English Standard Version

  I've always loved this passage, mostly for the visual image I get when I read it.  It's dark, and Peter has just escaped from jail.  He's furtively sneaking around, hoping he doesn't get recaptured, and then he finds Mary's house, where the people are gathered praying.  He lightly knocks on the gate, but doesn't knock too loudly, because he's afraid to wake the neighbors.  The servant hears that it's Peter, is super excited, and then runs inside but forgets to let Peter in.

  So here's Peter, the rock upon which Christ is building the church, the church against which the gates of hell will not prevail, knocking on the gate of a house that he can't get into in the middle of the night while everyone else is inside whispering about him.  The man escapes from jail but can't get into the house of his friends!  

  It's just so human.  When I read the Bible, the people are real.  The stories, even these that everyone probably sat around the fire for years and laughed about, come across as authentic.  These are people like you and I, trying to figure out how to live in light of the resurrection.  Christ is at work, through ordinary, everyday people, then and now.

Acts 12:6-11

Acts 12:6-11 

English Standard Version 

  Herod is clearly threatened by the message Peter is preaching -- there are soldiers on both sides of him, and sentries at the door of the prison.  It's interesting to watch Herod's reaction to the preaching of Peter and recognize his fear.  He must have suspected that it was all true, as improbable as the Gospel might be.  If Herod had a way to disprove it, he would have surely used it, and the movement would've fallen away.  

  But Herod didn't have anything, so he tried to imprison the messengers, but that doesn't work when you're facing a God who can move mountains.  What are chains to a Lord whom death cannot hold?  

  In the same way, what are the chains that bind you in comparison to the Lord who frees you from sin and brokenness?  Who are we to despair when such a God is with us?

The Secret Race (Tyler Hamilton)

   Every once in a while, I come across a book that is absolutely amazing, even moreso because I wasn't expecting it to be so engaging.  The most recent example I can think of is David McCullough's The Wright Brothers.  I read it because I figured it was an important part of American history I should know about, especially living in Ohio, but I didn't think the story would be so engaging.  Couldn't put it down. If you haven't read it, you should.  It's way better than whatever else is in this blog post.  (I'm nominating that for the understatement of the year.)

  I picked up Tyler Hamilton's The Secret Race from the library, and it sucked me in.  I couldn't stop reading it.  Like everyone else on the planet, I was completely caught up in Lance Armstrong's domination of the Tour de France.  I'm not a serious cyclist (I own a bicycle, but the thought of riding 57 miles in the upcoming Pelotonia fundraiser for cancer research this fall intimidates me.  But you should donate to my ride anyway.), but Lance's story was so captivating.  The guy who recovered from cancer to dominate an event that demands a herculean effort from any participant -- how could you not support that?  I remember waiting for updates every day, being amazed at the times an American was posting in a sport that had been dominated by Europeans, with the exception of Greg LeMond.  

  I was staunchly on team Lance when it came to accusations of doping.  Plus, the denials were so bold.  How could you not believe someone who denied accusations so confidently?  And I figured that someone who had survived cancer would be extra sensitive about what went into his body.  I always assumed that doping was a minority in the sport, and that it was possible to win without doping. (USADA later revealed that I was wrong to believe that Armstrong won without doping.)

  Tyler Hamilton, who rode with Lance in several Tours, tells his side of the story in an honest way.  It's incredibly transparent.  In Hamilton's view, no one could win these events without doping -- it simply wasn't possible.  All the best riders were doping, and so one had to dope to compete.  If you wanted to build a successful career in cycling, you had to do it.  It was black or white.

  And if you're in those shoes, what do you do?  How do you react when faced with the choice of doping or not?  Do you give up what you've been working towards?  Or do you take something that makes you better?  The pressure is immense.  

  Reading Hamilton's book made me feel sorry for those put in that position.  It was never an easy choice.  To hold onto your dreams mean you had to sacrifice.  In the end, Hamilton paid a huge price. His decision cost him an immense amount.  It's easy to look back now and think about how different choices could have led down different paths.  It's easy to look in from the outside and say what he should have done.  

  But there, in that moment, when presented with that choice...  

  That's a hard place to be.

  And Hamilton's book helps me think a little more and have a little more mercy for those who make the wrong decision under pressure.  I think that's a good thing.

Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5

English Standard Version 

  What do you want more than anything else in this world?  

  I think love probably tops the list -- to love and to be loved as you are, fully and forever.

  Peace belongs pretty high on that list, too.  This seems especially true given all the conflict in the world.  What if you were at complete peace with yourself, not anxious or worried or self-critical or depressed?  What if you were at peace with all your relationships, where there was no criticism or infighting or gossip?  How would that feel?  It'd be light and joyous and wonderful, I think.  To be at complete peace with yourself and your relationships means you can rest in who and how you are.  

  Jesus gives us peace with God, which means that we can enter the throneroom of grace and stand confidently before God.  To know this, to truly know this, means we can withstand anything in this world, because we know that we're going to spend eternity in the presence of God.  That's how we develop hope, because we know that we know that we know that we are at peace with God, the single most powerful being in the universe, and that it's given as a free gift that we don't have to earn.

  Through the love of Jesus Christ, we can enter into God's rest, at peace forever.

Hebrews 3:1-6

Hebrews 3:1-6 

English Standard Version 

  Mark Twain said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes.  It's certainly true of the Bible -- so much of what goes on in the New Testament is foreshadowed in the Old Testament.  Jesus is the perfection of many things that were hinted at.  When the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt, it was Moses who led them out of slavery through the waters of the sea.  When we were in slavery to sin, it was Jesus who led us out of slavery through the waters of baptism.  When the people grumbled against God and God was frustrated, Moses pleaded with God, interceding on our behalf.  When we sinned against God, Jesus interceded on our behalf, taking the punishment that was rightly ours.  Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to receive the law and bring it down to the people.  Jesus fulfilled the Law and brought us new commandments, raising the standard of our behavior.

  Jesus was the new Moses, just as prophets and kings and other leaders also pointed, in their own way, ahead to Jesus.  Everything was pointing to Jesus as the fulfillment of God's work and promise, and Jesus exceeded all expectations.  In the same way, things continue to point forward to Jesus' return.  Our job is to look around and notice how things are pointing forward, that we may tell others around us about the God who is to come and the joy that awaits!

Book of Night

   Have you ever been at a picnic on a pleasant summer day, where it's not too hot but the sun is shining and all is right with the world, and you've had a hamburger fresh off the grill that was absolutely edible, completely fine, and nothing more?  At the end of the hamburger, you've realized that the hamburger wasn't great, but you ate it, and you're enjoying the day, so it's fine.  Maybe it wasn't the best hamburger, but it was good enough to eat and didn't detract from the enjoyment of a beautiful day, so you don't regret it, but if the hamburger had been a little better, well that would've been good, too, right?

  That's how I feel about Holly Black's Book of Night.  I read it in a couple of days, so it was clearly good enough that it was hard to put down easily.  It's a fantasy/mystery about a time when some people have learned how to manipulate their shadows, and the plot is engaging, with some twists and turns along the way to resolution.  It's close enough to real that you can almost imagine what it's like, which I think is the sign of a great fantasy book. 

  But I think what holds it back is that there are some technical things about the people who manipulated their shadows that I still don't understand.  By the time I arrived at the end of the book and they were revealing who was what and what they'd done, there were characters that I didn't understand and I wasn't sure who was human and who was kinda human and who was something else.  I felt like I needed a legend or guide that explained some of the terms.  That would've helped.

  Either way, it's interesting to think that some of the malicious shadows were forms that people had pushed all their negative emotions into.  I spent some time thinking about this.  We try and hide so many of our negative emotions.  Sometimes, we're afraid that people will think we don't have our acts together.  Sometimes, maybe we're afraid what they might make us do.  We worry about ourselves, and we worry how people might react to us if they discover that we're weak and vulnerable and afraid and angry.  

  In so many ways, we're all longing for a society where we can be ourselves, where we can be honest.  I hope the church is a place where we can be vulnerable and still be loved.  We are loved as we are, not as we should be, as hard as that can be to accept.  We don't have to push things into the shadows.  

Malachi 3:16-18

Malachi 3:16-18 

English Standard Version 

  The Lord pays attention, 

  There was a time I would've heard that as a threat.  I would've thought that the Lord, like Santa, was making a list and checking it twice, and those who were naughty were kept off the list.  Only the good boys and girls could end up on the Lord's list.

  But then I listened to the Gospel.

  And I heard it again.

  And again.

  And again.

  I'm a slow learner at times.

  But the Gospel tells us that Christ was good, and because Christ lived a perfect life, all those who believe end up in the book of remembrance, in the book of life.  It's not our goodness that gets us into the book -- it's Jesus'.  

  So then I started to worry if I believe in the right ways.  It all comes back to anxiety over performance -- it's the same worry as before, just dressed in different clothes.  It's the devil, whispering into the depths of my hearts that I'm not good enough, that I'll never be good enough.  But God roars with a mighty thunder, declaring to all the world that we are God's anointed, marked in the waters of baptism as Christ's own forever, and the devil shall not have us.

  We are God's treasured possessions, and we know this because we have seen the full price God was willing to pay to claim us as God's own.  God's own Son -- that price was not too high so that God could be with you forever.  

  The Lord pays attention.  The Lord saw your suffering, and the Lord saved you.

Malachi 3:6-12

Malachi 3:6-12

 English Standard Version 

  In the state of Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk.  For all of you heading south for summer vacation, if you visit Alabama, you cannot wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.  In Alaska, you cannot wake a sleeping bear to take a photo.  

  I think there is a tendency exists to think of the tithe in a similar fashion.  We think of it as an old-fashioned law that belonged to a different time and place.  When Jesus died to fulfill the Law, we think of the tithe as an old requirement that doesn't belong to modernity.  I've seen statistics that put giving around 2.5% of income for Christians.

  But whenever Jesus talked about Old Testament requirements, he never lowered the standard for how we should obey them.  He fulfilled the parts of the Law that focused on ceremony, but when it came to giving to God, that aspect remains.  

  In Malachi, the prophet accuses the people of robbing God by not bringing the whole tithe into the storehouse.  The prophet invites the people to test God, and tells them that God is ready to throw open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings.  I love that image.

  I don't think tithing is formulaic, where God does something once we do something else.  God's not at our beck and call to fulfill our desires if we put the right coin in the vending machine.  

  But I also believe that we're invited to give generously, to give richly, to give of our firstfruits to God, and when we truly give of ourselves to God, when we live with God's Kingdom first in our hearts and minds, then we experience blessings.

  We're invited to test God, to see what might happen.  May we have the wisdom to put God first and do just that!

Malachi 3:1-4

Malachi 3:1-4 

English Standard Version 

  I've seen a few reports about the Queen's jubilee in England.  Lots of ceremonial celebrations.  I always imagine what it would be like if someone showed up before the dirtiest person in England and said they were to be presented before the Queen.  So much effort would go into cleaning up that person, making them presentable.  It's no small feat, but that's what must be done so they can be presented, due to the gulf existing between the height of royalty and someone covered in filth.  

  I've been thinking a lot lately about the presence of God.  We long for it, and yet at the core, it's so different than we are.  We are sinful and broken, and God is purity and perfection.  Emotionally, we bounce all over the place, and often find ourselves in conflict, and yet God is pure love, consistent faithfulness.  We are unworthy of God's love, and such efforts must be made to make us worthy.  When we talk about a refiner's fire, we're talking about putting precious metals in the hottest part of the fire to burn out impurities.  The precious metals look great when they're out of the fire, and we all love to see glass when it's blown artistically, but none of us would joyfully welcome being placed into the midst of a blazing furnace or a refiner's fire -- the heat would be so intense, we fear getting destroyed.

  And so what a gift it is that Jesus Christ willingly steps into the depths of the furnace, into the central core of the refiner's fire, and bears all the heat, so that we don't have to.  How amazing is that -- we could have been consumed, but Christ endures that so that we don't have to.  Christ makes us worthy by accepting the heat of the flames, and we receive the reward he deserves, and it's given as a gift.....

  How incredible is that???  We are converted from the depths of unworthiness to the heights of heaven, made worthy to sit before God in all of God's perfection....

  It's simply amazing...

Job 38:1-7

Job 38:1-7 

English Standard Version 

  The book of Job is long and complex, and it covers a range of emotions.  Through it all, Job is pleading for an audience with God, to learn about the reasons why he is suffering.  

  In the end of the book, Job receives an audience with God, but it doesn't go the way he expects it to.  Rather than have a courtroom like setting where Job can plead his case with God, Job is confronted with God in the fullness of God's majesty, and God begins to describe to Job how God was active when the foundations of the earth were laid.  

  In the face of such overwhelming greatness, Job's questions shrink down, and Job realizes that perhaps God's understanding is greater than his own.

  Like Job, we're all pursuing God, and we all encounter hardships.  Like Job, we all have big questions about why some things happen, and life often doesn't make sense.  We're wondering about the reality of suffering.

  Scripture tries to give us an eternal perspective, so that we recognize that our sufferings happen in context -- and in light of eternity, our sufferings are not as tragic.  

  So we can continue to ask our big questions... but let us recognize that this side of heaven, we may not get the answers we're searching for.  May the reality of God's presence give us comfort and assurance that our trust is well-placed and that God is big enough to conquer the things that oppose us.

Sermon for June 12, 2022 (Blessing of the Pets)

Psalm 29

Psalm 29 

English Standard Version 

  Contemplate the strength of the Lord -- his very voice can break a cedar tree, can bring forth fire, can shake the wilderness.  The Lord's strength is beyond what we can behold -- and yet God uses that strength for you!  The strength of God is unleashed to destroy sin, but ultimately all of that strength is corralled to benefit you!  God chooses to use it for your favor -- so celebrate that the strength of the Lord is with you and will enable you to overcome any and everything that opposes you.  You are safe due to the Lord's strength!!

Titus 3:12-15

Titus 3:12-15 

English Standard Version 

  The church is, ultimately, a collection of relationships.  It's rooted in an eternal relationship existing within the Trinity between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We who are designed in the image of God are included in this relationship through the atoning death of Jesus Christ, which repairs the breach in the relationship and paves the way for us to be fully included in this relationship.  

  What's important for us to remember is the relationships we maintain within the church.  It's not just about our relationship with Jesus --just as the Trinity lives out their relationship among one another, we live out our loving relationship with one another in our congregations.  We see that here in Titus -- there are little details covered about relationships along with the theology.  The big things matter, and the little things matter, too.  It matters to the church that we care about one another's lives, and that we are involved in one another's lives.  

  So let us not simply passively attend church and consume for ourselves.  May we intertwine our lives with our fellow believers, as these are the people we'll be spending eternity with.  The little details of their lives matter.  And so do the details of your life.  The little things that stress you out, the joys, the concerns -- all of it matters to all of us.  

Titus 3:9-11

Titus 3:9-11

English Standard Version

  Verse 12 of this chapter ought to warn:  "Never read the comments on an online article".

  Makes me think of the old saying about never wrestling with a pig because everyone gets dirty and the pig likes it.  We all know people who seem to thrive on creating division.  This might be a significant portion of the social media user base.  I have no problem with people who are willing to have honest discussions about issues, even when I completely disagree with them -- for those willing to engage with an open and honest spirit, everyone can learn something.  There are plenty of people, however, who simply like creating division.  There's no reality of honest conversation with the hope of conversion or enlightenment.  The best thing we can do, and it's been true for 2,000 years, is avoid foolish debates -- they are indeed as unprofitable and worthless today as they were in the first century.  Do not invest your energy and life into trying to win over people who have no interest in being won over.  Find those conversation partners who have a willingness to be vulnerable and truly listen to what you have to say.  

Titus 3:1-8

** Every now and again, I sign up for Pelotonia, an annual event here in Columbus where I painfully ride 57 miles on a bicycle to help raise money for life-changing cancer research. 100% of all donations go towards this research. You can donate to my ride here: Pelotonia | Keith Jones. Thanks!! 

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Titus 3:1-8

English Standard Version 

  I still remember the first year that I signed up for the Columbus Turkey Trot.  I thought it was a 4-mile race.  Somewhere after mile 3, I realized that it was a 5-mile race.  This was not a welcome realization -- it was more than I'd thought I was getting myself into when I signed up.

  When I read the passage 'show perfect courtesy toward all people', my heart has a similar feeling.  It's probably the same feeling the Pharisee had when, after Jesus had told him to love his neighbor as himself, he asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"  He was expecting Jesus to put limits on such love, to provide some boundaries, for surely he didn't have to love everyone as he loved himself.  I feel the same way when I think about treating all people with perfect courtesy.  Do I really need to do that for everyone?

  But then I'm reminded that I'm not exactly perfect myself.  I'm probably on someone's mental list when they're thinking of people they don't want to show perfect courtesy towards.  And when we think about God, dwelling in perfection... well, none of us are good enough.  We're all foolish when viewed through the lens of perfection.

  But God's relationship to us isn't rooted in our perfection -- it's rooted in God's mercy, poured out on us richly, even when we didn't deserve it.  We've been transformed by the love of God, and since we're now heirs to God's treasure, we should act like we belong in the family into which we've been adopted.  Such behavior, we're told, is excellent and profitable.

  Whenever the Bible is talking about profits, our minds often run to money, but the Bible talks about riches and profits in such greater terms.  To Scripture, profits here are things that last forever -- to reflect God's mercy, to enjoy God's grace, in the here and now is to begin living in the Kingdom of Heaven life now, to start our eternal life now, and that provides joy and security and peace, all riches that money cannot buy.  These profit the soul, and they last forever.  

  So may we devote ourselves to good works, reaping the eternal profits of God's grace today and forevermore.  In the case of God's Kingdom, we get more, way more, than we signed up for -- more than we can ask or imagine, Paul tells us, and we'll be dancing with joy because of it!

Titus 2:11-15

Titus 2:11-15

English Standard Version 

  If someone were to buy you a brand new car, it'd be hard to explain to them that you destroyed it during a demolition derby.  

  If somebody baked you a cake, would you tell them that you left it out for the neighborhood cat?

  How we treat gifts says something about our respect for the giver of them.  We honor people who give us gifts by treating those gifts well.  

  So when you think about God giving you the gift of eternal salvation, saving our lives, we should treat our lives well in gratitude for what God has given us.  Jesus Christ gave us hope in redeeming us and purifying us -- so let us treat that hope well.  May we live honorable lives, and in so doing, bring honor and glory to the one who has given us the gift of life!

Titus 2:1-10

Titus 2:1-10 

English Standard Version

  Can you see where the church is being set up as a community filled with sweetness and light?  Think about the type of people you like to be around -- I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're more drawn to places where people are self-controlled and king, showing respect and demonstrating dignity and integrity at all times.  Especially if those traits aren't largely present in society, you're going to be very attracted to such a community.  

  There are certainly echoes of a different culture here, where there were stratifications to society, but you can see how Paul is establishing a type of community where that can't take place.  How could someone self-controlled and selfless ever participate in a society where they owned another person?  If everyone in the community is wrapped up in selfless service, then the husband is submitting to the wife as the wife is submitting to the husband -- it's a cycle of selfless love, just as the Holy Trinity is caught up in serving one another.  In this community, all are equal, and each is looking out for the good of another.

  May we endeavor to emulate that in our congregations, that the sweetness of the Gospel may waft into the community and draw in those looking for true community comprised of people genuinely striving to serve one another.

Titus 1:10-16

Titus 1:10-16 

English Standard Version 

  So, Paul, tell us how you really feel!

  What's going on here is that Paul is furious that there are people adding conditions to the Gospel.  They're saying you need Jesus and something else (circumcision in this case).  It makes Paul furious to hear this, because it leads people to question their faith, and so they start adding conditions, and once you start adding conditions, you're drifting away from the purity of the Gospel, the sweet simplicity that we are saved by Christ alone.  There is no other need.  The pure Gospel is a gift of grace from heaven.  When we take the Gospel and start adding things to it -- then it's a religion of human invention, and that can be used and abused by humans.  The Gospel isn't ours to use -- it's a gift to share, but we don't own it, we can't claim it as our own -- we can only bask in its glory and reflect that glory from one selfless heart to another.

Titus 1:5-9

Titus 1:5-9 

English Standard Version 

  The impact of unethical church leadership is massive.  Unfortunately, story after story comes out regarding poor decisions that have been made by church leadership where power has been abused.  It's terrible to read... to see the initial tragedy, and then it so often is made worse by the church trying to cover things up, by short-sighted decisions that are made to try and save power or image.  It erodes the church's authority, and I know there are countless people who will never darken a door of a church because of leadership scandals in the church.

  So Paul leads with qualifications for elders and overseers.  It's easy to say that parts of this list may belong to a different era, but the idea of elders being above reproach is important -- leaders in the church need to be people who are trustworthy.  They don't have to be perfect.  I'd certainly fail that test.  But lovers of good, disciplined, upright -- these traits are important, to set an example as well as grant authority in their teaching.  

  May we be wise in choosing the leaders of the congregations, that the church may be strengthened and that God may be glorified through their leadership.