Luke 3:21–22

Luke 3:21-22 

English Standard Version 

  Imagine what it would've been like to have heard this.  Here is Jesus, having been baptized, and the Holy Spirit is descending while the voice of God cries out in affirmation.  Can it get better than this?  This is a moment to stay in -- gazing upon the face of Jesus, hearing the affirming words of God.  Close your eyes for a minute and be in that place, in that moment.

  The Good News of the Gospel is that this awaits each of us, no matter how deserving we are of such an honor.  We don't belong there on our own merits, but because Christ was willing to die for us, we have access to such privilege.  God speaks to us in the same way, affirming God's pleasure with us, and the same Holy Spirit descends upon us.  God wants this for you.  Jesus died to give this to you.  What a pure gift.  Let it lift up your spirit, lift up your soul.

Luke 3:18–20

Luke 3:18-20 

English Standard Version 

  John came to preach good news... but it wasn't comfortable news.  John challenged people in authority, and he was locked in prison for this.  Would you do it?

  It's a reminder to us that the Gospel is often at odds with the world's powers.  The Gospel comes to liberate, but not everyone welcomes a message that delivers a message of liberation and equality.  The Gospel calls each and every one of us to change and to change the way we treat one another.  This is not a task undertaken lightly.  

  So when you think back on John's message, what needs to change within you?  How is God speaking to your heart?  And how is God calling you to interact with the world around you?

Luke 3:15–17

Luke 3:15-17 

English Standard Version 

  It's hard to imagine being John -- people streamed out to listen to him, looking to him as an authority.  Here, they're wondering if he is the Christ.  Think of the temptation for him to claim to be the one that they have been waiting for.

  But John knows his role is to point to Christ.  John knows that the single most important thing he can do is direct the attention of every single person towards Christ, the true Messiah.  John is not the one who can save -- only Christ can do that.

  We're called to be like John -- to point to the truth of the Gospel in word and in deed.

Luke 3:10-14

Luke 3:10-14 

English Standard Version 

  The recently negotiated peace deal was challenging for both sides to find something they could agree on.  When we think about making peace between parties at war, it's very challenging and complex.  Nothing is simple about it.  

  Think about other global problems, such as poverty and inequality and hunger.  All of these are tremendously difficult to solve.

  There are countless things in our lives that are complex and complicated and can be exhausting just to think about.  

  That's why I love the advice John the Baptist offers the crowds.  They've heard about the challenge of discipleship, and they want to know how to follow God.  John doesn't give them immensely complicated instructions... but he tells them to share out of their abundance, to follow ethical principals in their work to deal fairly with one another.  None of this is wildly complex.  It's straightforward.  It's simple.  Do the next right thing, John says, and then the right thing after that.  In doing so, in consistently choosing to treat one another with the same grace and kindness that God shows to us, we reveal the Kingdom of God, one small act at a time, through our love and mercy.

Luke 3:7–9

Luke 3:7-9 

English Standard Version 

  The Gospel is a message of grace, and it is filled with truth.  To have truth implies that there is falsehood, and often we carry that within us.  Because the Gospel is loving, it confronts us in our falsehoods, and it is gracious yet firm in insisting that we cling to Christ and to Christ alone.  To keep one foot firmly planted in a lie is to fail to commit to the Gospel.  Jesus loves us too much to leave us where we are.  When we turn to Christ, we are called to turn away from other things, even things that are often hard to turn away from.  Fortunately, Christ knows our challenges and loves us through them, continuing to send the Holy Spirit to transform us.

Luke 3:3–6

Luke 3:3-6

English Standard Version 

  Which region did he go to?

  ALL of them.  

  I love it.  God doesn't send John to some of the regions -- he sent him to all, crying out for people to prepare their hearts.  The imagery of filled valleys and lowered mountains is used, pointing people to the reality that the landscape looks different when God is King.  There are no more obstacles between us and God -- it is a level plain, and we are invited to dwell in the fullness of God's Kingdom.  What a privilege, to no longer be lost in the valleys.  What a joy, to no longer have to scale the mountains.  The road is straight, so that we might see and experience the salvation of God.

  What preparation do you need in your heart?  What valleys or mountains in your life need to be changed so that the fullness of grace might enter in?

Luke 3:1–2

Luke 3:1-2 

English Standard Version 

  The Gospel is anchored in a real time and place.  It's not a myth or a legend that could be picked up and set in another time.  There are certainly themes that carry from era to era, and the truths are timeless, but the story is told in a very particular place amongst a very particular group of people.  We can take comfort in this -- it's a way to test the reliability of the Gospel, and the authors wouldn't have included these details if they weren't confident in the truth of their story.  

  And yet -- it's all the more amazing in that the Gospel shows up in an out-of-the-way place, with people who are as far from the center of power as possible.  The Gospel isn't just for the privileged and those with access to power.  This gives us hope -- we who are ourselves far from power, we who have little influence, we see how the Holy Spirit works, and we are challenged to make room in our own lives for the intrusive Word, the one that breaks in and overwhelms and comforts and challenges.

Luke 2:47–52

Luke 2:47-52 

English Standard Version 

  I think of Joseph and Mary, who heard what Jesus had to say and did not understand what he spoke to them.  How many people reacted to Jesus in that same way?  They heard his words... but they didn't grasp the importance of them, the weight of them, the impact of them?  

  How many of us are like that?  We read the words of Jesus, and we understand the surface level meaning, but do we grasp the full impact, the full weight, the meaning they're intended to have in our lives?  CS Lewis said he didn't worry about the sayings of Jesus that he didn't understand, he worried about the sayings of Jesus that he did understand, because they were the ones demanding change from him, asking much of him.  I do the same thing -- I skim over some of the harder teachings, because I don't want to change.  I don't always like change.

  So let us let the words and teachings of Jesus sink in as we dive deeper into the Gospels.  May we let the challenging teachings of Jesus sit in our hearts, treasuring them up, and seeing where God is calling us.

Luke 2:41–46

Luke 2:41-46 

English Standard Version 

  For three frantic days, Mary and Joseph are running around Jerusalem, searching for Jesus.  

  All the while, he's in the temple, in his father's house, asking questions of the teachers gathered around him, who must have been amazed at this extraordinary child in their midst who grasps so much truth.  All he wanted was to dwell in the temple and speak of the things of God.

  What draws you and your heart into the temple, into the house of God, that you might dwell on God's love for you?  We all have journeys and things that must be done, but when we have free time, do we run to God's house to think on God's love for us?  I heard someone say once that if you want to know what someone truly loves, watch how they spend their free time.  I think about that a lot.  Do my choices for free time reflect my love for God?  Am I leading my heart closer to God?  Do I look for ways to sit and listen to people teach about God?  Or do I simply fill my time with distractions?

Luke 2:39–40

Luke 2:39-40 

English Standard Version 

  Jesus grew up in a small town, an ordinary place, and much of his childhood was ordinary.  He was extraordinary, filled with wisdom, but he was immersed in daily village life.  

  When Jesus comes to earth, he dwells among us, as John's Gospel tells us.  He moved into the neighborhood.  He's not at a distance, in a palace, unable to relate.  He is in the village.  He knows our history.  He knows what it is like to struggle.  He knows the reality of poverty.  He knows all the heartbreaks and joys of life that come with living in community.  

  So when we pray, we can pray to someone who knows the path we walk.  He can relate.  He gets it.  He knows your sorrows and hopes and expectations and struggles.  Jesus cares enough to enter life in such a way that he'll be able to relate to us, thanks be to God.

Luke 2:36–38

Luke 2:36-38 

English Standard Version 

  Anna's story is an amazing one.  She's 84 years old, and I read this as her being a widow for most of her life.  She's waiting on the Messiah, but she doesn't wait idly.  She worships while she waits.  

  There's a lesson here for all of us.  We spend a lot of time waiting -- sometimes we're waiting in line, other times we're waiting for a season of life to pass, or maybe we're waiting on someone.  We wait a lot.  How do we fill the time?  In most waiting rooms, everyone has their head in an electronic device, and that will fill the time... but what if you found a way to worship while you wait?  There are plenty of ways to do it.  There are apps and podcasts that will help you pray or teach you about Scripture or provide sermons.  There are pocket Bibles you could take with you.  Or you can just sit and contemplate the beauty or grandeur of God.  If you're waiting for a season, you can find ways to worship throughout your day, to mix it into everything you're doing and set time aside for it.  

  While we wait, may we be mindful of God and how God yearns to draw closer to us.

Luke 2:33–35

Luke 2:33-35 

English Standard Version 

  The coming of Jesus brings joy and sorrow.  Jesus threatens those who hold power, as they see in him a rival, and Jesus brings joy to those who are powerless, as they see an advocate.  Jesus comes for us all -- to teach those in power how to rule with wisdom and humility, and to those in power to offer them hope and assurance.  Much of the response to Jesus has to do with how fiercely we hold on to the things we have.  If our fists are closed around our earthly treasure, there is no room left for the blessings of God to come into our hands.  

  Simeon warns Mary of the pain that is to come for her.  Jesus does not come with an easy message that promises triumph to all.  There is immense pain in the short-term -- for him and those around him.  And yet, he points ahead, ever faithful, assuring us of the joy that is to come in the long term.

Luke 2:25–32

Luke 2:25-32 

English Standard Version 

  Simeon always amazes me.  He'd been told by the Holy Spirit that he wouldn't die until he saw the Christ, but he didn't know how long that would be.  Who knows how long he had been waiting.  But he didn't give up.  He kept waiting.  He kept looking, because he trusted God's promises.

  I think about this a lot.  God makes promises to us, but sometimes, it's awfully hard to see how those are going to be fulfilled.  We wonder if God meant all those things that God said.  We wonder if the promises are true for us.  

  But as Christians, we're called to keep waiting.  We don't know how long we'll have to wait... but God is faithful.  The promises will be fulfilled, it's just a matter of when. 

  So keep faithfully waiting, watching for what God is doing, and be ready to celebrate.  God is good.

Luke 2:22–24

Luke 2:22-24 

English Standard Version 

  We know from the offering that Mary and Joseph brought that they were poor.  One of the things that I value most about Christianity is that it is rooted in simplicity and humility.  It hasn't come to conquer through worldly power.  It doesn't come to rule over -- it comes to serve, and the beauty and sweetness of the Gospel, rooted in service, has attracted billions over the millennia.  

  It's an amazing concept -- God comes to serve you, dressed in humility.  He hasn't come to wow you through riches and influence, but to bring you in to the Kingdom through acts of selfless love.  We who are attracted are then sent back into the world to show such love to others.

Luke 2:21

Luke 2:21 

English Standard Version 

  From the very beginning of Jesus' life, he was obedient to the Law.  He was perfect in every way -- his name pointed towards his mission, meaning 'the Lord saves'.  Everything about Jesus is pointed towards the salvation of his people.  

  The good news for us is that God sends Jesus to save -- there is a plan in place.  You are not an accident, and your salvation is not in question.  God has sent Jesus with intent to save.  All is well.  That allows us to enjoy rest, because we need not be anxious.

Luke 2:16–20

Luke 2:16-20

English Standard Version 

  

  Do you ever see other Christians who live out their faith in a way completely different than yours and wonder if you're doing it right?  It's easy to think that maybe you're getting it wrong if you feel comfortable with a differing expression of faith.

  Here in Luke 2, we have very different reactions.  The shepherds have come to see Jesus and they leave praising God, announcing what they have seen and heard to anyone nearby.  It's very public.

  Mary, however, treasures all these things, pondering them in her heart.  It's very quiet and private.  

  Neither of these approaches are wrong.  They're just different.  Each of us is crafted in the image of God, knit together in our mother's wombs -- but we're crafted differently, unique.  That's ok and celebrated in the Kingdom of God.

Luke 2:13-15

Luke 2:13-15 

English Standard Version 

  One of the things I love about Scripture is the way that community happens over and over again.  We're reminded that we don't do faith on our own.  An angel has appeared to the shepherds, but the angel is not on his own -- a multitude of heavenly host are with him, all of them joining together to praise God.  

  It's very different than the way we often approach faith -- we think of it largely as an individual act.  But the angels are here to remind us that faith is done in community, and so they combine to reveal God's glory.

  How do the shepherds react?  They have seen the angels, and they are compelled to go.  They cannot sit on such news -- they act, going to see what God has told them.  

  May we look for the chance to worship together, thinking of ourselves as part of a much larger community, and may we give thanks for the chance to go and do after we hear the Good News.

Luke 2:10–12

Luke 2:10-12 

English Standard Version 

  Our news is now personalized.  Feeds online are tailored as to what interests you.  Many people watch news channels that show news that slants to their perspective.  We think that everyone else should be watching what we're watching, but someone somewhere else is watching something different thinking the same thing. 

  The angel doesn't say that the good news of great joy is for some of the people.  It's for all -- even the Romans who will lead the persecution of Christ decades later.  God has come to transform all the people.  

  This is key to remember as we look at the world.  The Gospel comes for all.  Each and every person matters intimately to God.  There are no people who don't matter to God -- God brings great joy for all the people!

Luke 2:8-9

Luke 2:8-9

English Standard Version 

  As mentioned, the birth of Jesus wouldn't have been in the headlines, and the shepherds certainly wouldn't have been expected to be the first to discover the birth of the Messiah of the world.  Think about it -- Jesus Christ was going to completely upend society, changing the lives of billions of people in the years to come.  No one had ever been born that would change the world like this, and the first people to hear about it... were tending sheep at night on the outskirts of town.

  Is that how you would announce it?  This is not human wisdom -- it is beyond our grasp.  No one would design the story like this, no one would make this up, and yet the story persists, because it is true.  And because it is true, every single person should wrestle with its implications on their lives.  

  So when things happen in the world that we cannot make sense of, may our reaction be curiosity to know how God might be at work.  We might not understand it, but that doesn't mean that God is not in the midst of it all.  

Luke 2:1-7

Luke 2:1-7

English Standard Version 

  I don't know about you, but I often feel very, very small.  The news is filled with global events, reaching far around the world and impacting thousands or millions.  Nothing I do has such an impact, or even that close. 

  But look at the beginning of Jesus' life.  The Roman Emperor is issuing a decree that causes untold masses to move, and here is God, at work in the midst of it all, on a very, very small scale, wrapped in humility, but changing the course of the world.  This is the single most important birth in humanity, and it wasn't on the cover of any newspaper in the world.  It wouldn't have been included at all... because no one noticed until far, far later.  

  The Gospel works like that, in ways no one may notice at the time, but the Holy Spirit is moving.  That doesn't mean we should tune out the global news, but don't assume that God isn't at work just because something doesn't make a headline.  God is working, at a small and large scale.

  

Luke 1:80

Luke 1:80 

English Standard Version 

  There's a lot of long-term overnight success stories.  We don't see all the time and work that is invested over the years -- we see someone splash onto the front page and the story is told like it has all happened in a flash.  The story is never that easy, and the road is never that short.  People spend years and decades working, preparing, and they're ready when the opportunity presents itself.

  John is like that -- he spends years in the wilderness preparing for the day when God will call him. The wilderness is not an easy place, but that's where John is made ready.  

  When we avoid the wilderness, the danger is that we avoid the tough times that prepare us for the opportunity.  So let us trust in God that when we are in the wilderness, it's because God has something greater in store for us.  May we use that time to let God remind us of the promises of the Gospel, so that when opportunity comes, we'll be ready to let the Gospel light shine through us.

Luke 1:76–79

Luke 1:76-79 

English Standard Version 

  We need to speak words like this over one another.  We all have a part to play in God's salvation story -- each is different, but they are all crucial blocks in the building of God's Kingdom.  It's hard for us to recognize this often -- we get blinded by all the things we have going on in our lives, as well as crippling self-doubt and fears about our own inadequacies.  

  It's so valuable when we hear people speak words into our lives where we're reminded of the critical importance of God's value for us and the call God has on our lives.  We need to be reminded that we're called and sent, that God loves us and values us, that the light that shines through the cracks in our lives is important for others to navigate by.  Others are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, they need to find a way to peace, and so just as we are guided by the light shining through cracks in the lives of others, let us let the light shine through us, and remind others of the important role they have in communicating the truth and light of the Gospel.

Luke 1:67-75

Luke 1:67-75 

English Standard Version 

  I wonder if we practice this type of song anymore.  Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit, and he isn't solely focused on what's happening in his own life.  He sees his story as part of the larger story of God's salvation narrative, and he praises God for being faithful throughout the generations.  God has been at work since of old, and Zechariah sees God continuing to deliver God's people.  And note the purpose -- God delivers the people so that they can serve without fear.  

  How would it look for you to praise God in this way?  Can you tie your story in to God's larger narrative?  Can you see how your story is similar to other stories in the Bible, and recognize how God might be at work in the same way in your life?  Such activities give us the confidence to serve without fear, because if we can recognize that the same God who delivered Biblical characters can deliver us, then we trust in our ability to live in holiness and righteousness before God all our days.

Luke 1:59-66

Luke 1:59-66

English Standard Version 

  Remember when Zechariah originally saw the angel?  He was uncertain about what God was doing, and so he was silenced as a result.  

  Here, the child is to be named, and Zechariah no longer has any doubts.  He obeys, and his mouth is opened as a result.  Notice what comes out of his mouth first -- blessings towards God.  He isn't resentful for the trial he has undergone, but instead is eager to bless God.  

  How do we respond after times of trial?  Are we eager to bless God?  What can we learn from Zechariah?  Often, we're still in the midst of the trial, wondering if we'll be delivered, and it's hard to imagine praising God once more, but Zechariah reminds us that blessings can come after long periods of waiting.  The hand of the Lord can still be with us.

Luke 1:57-58

Luke 1:57-58 

English Standard Version

  It's a competitive world.  Often, we feel that if someone else is getting ahead, that must mean that we are falling behind.  There is a temptation to resent the success of others.

  But in God's Kingdom, we celebrate with others when we see the success of others.  It's not zero-sum, so we can truly rejoice when we see others doing well.  Here is Elizabeth, reveling in the mercy of God, giving birth to a son after such a long wait, and the community rejoices with her.  Her triumph lifts up those around her, and they gather with her.  

  Who can you celebrate with today?  How can you be part of a community that is lifting one another up?

Luke 1:46–56

Luke 1:46-56 

English Standard Version 

  Mary responds to all of this with a song, and the song is rooted in history.  I love how often Scripture does this -- it's pointing backwards, looking at all the things God has done.  You can tell that Mary knows more than just her story -- she knows God's larger story, and she's rooted in that.  Her chapter is just a small piece of what God is doing, but it fits in with that, and so she's also a part of how God is moving forward. Mary sees her work in the scope of the larger expansion of the Kingdom of God, and she celebrates that.

  This is why we read Scripture.  This is why we anchor ourselves in Scripture -- because it helps us see our story as part of something far larger than ourselves.  It's not just about us.  It's not just a small story, but it's cosmic in scope, and God is calling us deeper into relationship, into true life, and we're joining with Christians in every time and place as we sing God's praise and live into God's story.

Luke 1:43–45

Luke 1:43-45 

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever set out on a journey with enthusiasm in your heart, and then you make it a ways into the trip, and that enthusiasm has waned and you're wondering why you're going at all?  What do you need at that point?  You need someone to remind you of your original decision, of your commitment, of your passion.  

  Elizabeth does this for Mary.  She reminds Mary that Mary has believed that what God has spoken would be fulfilled.  Mary has surely asked herself if she is crazy for believing this, and here is Elizabeth, offering some grounding for Mary.  She is affirming Mary's choices.  She is reminding Mary that she is on the right path.  She is pointing to God.

  We need people like this in our lives, and we need to be people like this -- people who affirm and support, and remind one another that we are called by Christ to love and to serve.

Luke 1:39–42

Luke 1:39-42 

English Standard Version 

  It's hard to do things on your own.  The burdens can push down on you, weighing on the soul.  No matter how energized you may feel at the beginning, if you're rowing on your own, you'll lose steam.  When I go out and run, I inevitably stop after around two miles -- I get tired, and it's easy to stop.  When I'm running with someone, I may go twice as long, because I'm not alone.

  Mary is in the midst of a terribly challenging chapter of her life.  She's unwed, pregnant, and without many resources.  But God hasn't set her up to do this on her own.  She has Elizabeth, and when she arrives, John the Baptist leaps in the womb, and Elizabeth is exclaiming with a loud cry how blessed Mary is.   

  Here, there is encouragement.  There is community.

  Who can you provide that to today?

Luke 1:34–38

Luke 1:34-38 

English Standard Version 

  The angel is giving God amazing good news, and Mary has questions.  She doesn't understand how such things can occur, and while the angel answers the question... there are still questions.  

  We've all been at this phase.  We've understood where the road is supposed to go from where we are, but we have questions.  It doesn't make sense.  There are holes in the plan.  We can't see the entire map.

  Mary is in that spot, and yet she has trust in God.  Despite not understanding so much about how this is all going to work, she trusts the one who has come up with the plan.

  Relying on trust is a hard thing to do.  We learn how to depend on ourselves, how to struggle forward... and we like to see the entire road before we commit.

  But God is calling us into something deeper, something bigger, something that stretches through this reality and into the next.  

  Will you lean into God and trust God in the midst of your uncertainty?

Luke 1:30–33

Luke 1:30-33 

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever received an honor and then realized the responsibilities that come with that?  I can't imagine being elected president -- it'd be amazing for 30 seconds, and then the pressure of dealing with so much power and so many people would come crashing in.  It'd be overwhelming.  I see the news constantly updating the salaries that sports coaches make, and then I watch press conferences where every action is criticized and see how they have to deal with recruiting year round and it seems like every week there is some new crisis.  It's hard.

  Mary is put in an incredible role through this honor... but notice how God will take up the action.  The responsibility falls to God, and so Mary doesn't have to be flawless.  Mary doesn't have to be perfect.  She simply has to say yes to what God is going to do in and through her life.

  The same is true for you.  You don't have to be perfect and flawless and perform under pressure.  You simply open the door of your heart upon which Christ is already knocking, and say yes to the things God wants to do in and through you.  God loves you and is at work through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Trust in God.

Luke 1:26–29

Luke 1:26-29 

English Standard Version 

  I was reading an article about building family vacations and it recommended ensuring to stop and see roadside attractions, such as the world's largest ball of twine.  There are all sorts of such places across America, including Carhenge and Foamhenge.  These aren't usually in urban hotspots -- they're typically fairly out of the way.

  What if I told you that the Savior of the free world would be born in such a place?  You'd probably be surprised, right?

  Mary certainly was!  The Gospel is a reminder that God shows up in unexpected places in unexpected ways.  God is at work, and not using the methods the world uses.  We have to be prepared to see God anywhere, everywhere, because God can surprise us.  God sees the whole world as God's domain, and so God will work at all times in all places with all people.  So may we open our minds and hearts to how God is at work, and may we recognize the urgency to proclaim the Gospel to every corner of the world.

  

Luke 1:24–25

Luke 1:24-25

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever carried something that you've been ashamed of?  Maybe it was for months, or even years.  It's hard to let go of shame.  In some ways, it worms its way into our hearts and becomes part of our identity.  We look at parts of our lives or things in the past with shame.  

  Elizabeth felt that way about her barrenness.  It wasn't her fault, but she still carried it as a mark of shame.  Here, in Luke 1, that reproach is taken away.  God knew.  God listened to her prayers, and God took away that shame.

  We can look at Elizabeth and say that's great for her, but God hasn't taken away mine yet!  But Elizabeth waited decades.  She and Zechariah were old by the time this prayer was answered.  Her prayer wasn't answered the first or fiftieth time it was prayed.  There's no easy answer here, no guarantee as to when God will act.  This isn't a formula where we simply plug in the right parts and wait for God to respond.  God moves when God moves.  But we can rest assured in the promise that God will remove all the shame and regret from our lives.  Healing and grace will cover that, and we shall remember that pain no more.

Luke 1:21–23

Luke 1:21-23

English Standard Version 

  It's tough to be part of these crowds -- you know something dramatic has happened, but you didn't see it, you didn't experience it, so you try and catch what you can, but mostly, you have to wait.  It's hard to wait -- Zechariah has to wait, the crowds have to wait.  

  There's an element of trust, too.  We don't experience something for ourselves, but someone in our community does.  So we listen to them tell their story, because it's our story, too.  We're one people, striving together, so we share in Zechariah's joy, even if it is incomplete, and we wait for God to continue to show up.  

  So we tell our story, and we listen to the stories of others, and in the middle, we wait.  It's part of the identity of the people of God.

Luke 1:18–20

Luke 1:18-20 

English Standard Version 

 As a reminder, Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth have prayed for a child for years, but to no avail.  At last, he goes into the Holy of Holies and meets an angel, who tells him that his wife will have a child.  Zechariah, understandably, isn't so sure of this.  He has questions.

  The angel Gabriel, however, isn't really in the mood for questions, and as a result, Zechariah is given the opportunity to silently consider all that is about to happen.  

  Sometimes, God does this for us.  We experience setbacks, and we're forced to be on the sidelines.  While there, we have the choice -- will we use that time to ponder what God is doing, or will we complain and pout about how we ended up there?  It's an attitude question -- do we tune our attitudes to always be on the lookout for how God is striving to help us grow, or do we simply think the world is out to get us?  

  Over the long run, God wants us to grow into the people that we are called to be.  It's the process called sanctification -- it's only complete at our deaths.  So may we use all the time, even the idle time, to grow closer to Christ and listen to what God may be saying to our hearts.

Luke 1:13–17

Luke 1:13-17 

English Standard Version 

  Who knows how long Zechariah and Elizabeth have been praying for... but can you imagine that the scope of their prayer would've reached this far?  Here they are, two small people, and their story is woven into the grand story of the redemption of God's people.

  It's a reminder to us -- our stories matter.  We think of ourselves as small, and we are, and yet our stories matter to God, and we are part of the larger narrative as well.  God weaves us in, using our lives and our testimonies to tell a larger story, and the world comes to know Christ as King and Christ as Savior through us.  

  So let us, too, have joy and gladness.  For great is our God!

Luke 1:8–12

Luke 1:8-12 

English Standard Version 

  When Rachel and I were first married, I would startle her all the time.  I'd walk into a room and she'd jump, because she wasn't used to having someone else around all the time.  I'd always joke and remind her that I lived there, too.  

  It's funny to me that Zechariah is so shocked to see an angel here -- he was walking into the temple of the Lord -- what did he expect to see?  The reality is that he didn't expect that God would really show up!  He was simply doing his job, but in the midst of it, God showed up!  Zechariah was rightly afraid, as I'm sure we'd all be at the sight of an angel.  

  God came to deliver a message, and I love the imagery of the whole multitude of people praying outside.  What would it look like to do that for one another?  I wonder about that -- maybe it's by text message, or some other means, but wouldn't it be great for us to know that when we were facing something big, the whole multitude was praying for us in that moment?

Luke 1:5–7

Luke 1:5-7 

English Standard Version 

  It's easy to look at some people and assume that everything is easy, that they don't have scars.  Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous people, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.  But they carried a deep wound, as they were aged and had no children.  This was a hard thing for them.

  It's a reminder for us that even the strongest Christians carry wounds, even if we cannot see them.  Our faith depends not on our strength, thankfully, but on the strength of Christ.  This is why the Apostle Paul was able to say that even in his weakness, he found strength.  He had wounds, just as Zechariah and Elizabeth did, just as you and I do, and he looked to Christ for his strength.

  God is at work in their lives, just as God is at work in our lives, despite our wounds and fears and weakness.  That is not an obstacle for God.

Luke 1:1-4

Luke 1:1-4 

English Standard Version 

  The Gospel of Luke was written by a companion of Paul who was a physician.  The Gospel of Luke emphasizes God's concern for the poor, the outcast, and the marginalized.  The role of women and the work of the Holy Spirit is emphasized throughout.  We start with the announcement of John the Baptist's birth and move forward.      

  It's easy to assume that earlier people were more likely to believe in magic.  We think of them as less scientific.  But just like us, they wanted to know the truth.  Luke didn't simply take everything he heard about Jesus for granted.  He investigated.  He interviewed.  He wanted to give Theophilus an accurate telling of the Gospel, so he found the eyewitnesses and recorded these things, that Theophilus might have certainty.  People were making life-altering decisions based on what Luke was writing, and Luke didn't want them to be uncertain as to the truth of the matter.  

  It reminds us that our lives of faith are not built on rumors or guesses, but on trustworthy eyewitness testimony.  This was tested.  All of Scripture has been tested.  We can have confidence just as early believers had confidence.  Remember that many of those early believers had a very real life or death decision to make, and based on the evidence, they chose something that led many of them to death.  They didn't choose this lightly, and that gives us comfort in knowing that the faith we share with those early believers was researched and built upon a strong foundation.

Ephesians 6:23–24

Ephesians 6:23-24 

English Standard Version 

  Paul begins the letter to the Ephesians by wishing them grace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

  Here we are, at the end, and Paul is wishing them... grace.  There is peace and love, but it's all rooted in grace.  When we bask in grace, we realize that we have been given a gift, one that we are not worthy to receive, and so it makes us grateful.  Gratitude binds us together, and the love we have for Christ and one another creates a true community.  Paul lays out his desires for that community in between, but our environment is bounded by grace, bordered with love, and within that, we are surrounded by God.  May we live gratefully in that environment, striving forward in unity, loving one another.

Ephesians 6:21–22

Ephesians 6:21-22 

English Standard Version 

 We do a lot on our own now.  Many of us are glued to a screen, living an independent life.  We are in isolation often, and true community is rare.

  Paul is reminding us how important it is.  Paul is sending Tychicus to encourage hearts.  Community matters.  We're not in this on our own.  

  So whose heart can you encourage today?  Who can you reach out to in love, that they may know how you are and you may know how they are.  Encourage one another, for that ties us together.

Ephesians 6:18-20

Ephesians 6:18-20 

English Standard Version 

  Here is the real key to it all -- it's not the weapons that make Paul successful, but it's the reality that it all hinges on prayer.  He is not the key to success, but rather the Holy Spirit at work in and through him.

  This is such a hard thing to remember.  We put such pressure on ourselves to get things perfectly correct, or we feel like we're not holding up our end of the bargain.  But God is at work in and through you.  God's power and wisdom are the keys to success, not your own.  Trust in God, and lean into the grace that surrounds you, day by day, for the words to speak and the actions to take.  God will never disappoint.

Ephesians 6:17

Ephesians 6:17 

English Standard Version 

  I still remember a knothole baseball game years ago where I took a pitch right in the earhole of my batting helmet.  I didn't feel a thing, as the ball wasn't thrown very hard and those helmets were pretty solid.  But it probably would have hurt quite a bit without that helmet.  

  Helmets protect the head, where the mind sits.  We need our minds to keep us cool and protected, especially in times of conflict when we are under attack.  We need to know how to use our swords, offensively and defensively, which in our case is Scripture.  How do we rely upon the Word of God for guidance?  If we rely on our own words and wisdom, we'll likely fall short.  But trusting in God... that is a battle plan to win the day.

Ephesians 6:16

Ephesians 6:16 

English Standard Version

  Given the option, I'd pick the one that didn't involve flaming darts headed my way.  

  But we don't seem to have been given that option.  Seeing as that's the world we seem to live in, we can make a choice where we have a defense against all the flaming darts.  Not some, but all.  Instead of choosing fear, we can choose faith, which acts as a shield, because when we place our faith in the one who is stronger than the enemy, then we need not fear, though those flaming darts get hurled our way.  We cannot be taken from the hand of the one who has come to save.  

  Faith doesn't mean flaming darts don't get sent our direction by the enemy.  Faith does mean we can boldly stand in their face and look to the one who is both able and willing to save.

Ephesians 6:15

Ephesians 6:15 

English Standard Version 

  When we had our first child, we had a long time to prepare.  We didn't get surprised, but it was a still a shock when we brought him home the very first night and looked at each other and felt wildly underprepared.  We weren't ready to be parents.  I don't know that there's anything that can really prepare you for that.  We're still making it up as we go, 13 years later.

  There are so many situations like that.  We encounter them in the world, and we have to figure out how to deal with it.  Are we ready for many of them?  In so many ways, no, we aren't.

  But when we study the Gospel and the life of Jesus, we are ready for them.  The more we study the Gospels, the more we see the way that Jesus chooses to love, chooses to be selfless, chooses to exercise grace.  He embodies a way of living that we can imitate if we are students of it.  We see how he reacts to the anxiety and fear of others by being a non-anxious presence.  He creates space for those who are on the outside of the community to come in, and to be welcomed for who they are, regardless of what their past looks like.  He cares.  He listens.  He stops what he is doing and attends to the person in front of him.

  The more you read the Gospels, the more you learn about the ways Jesus interacts.  The more you take this into your heart, the more ready you are to go into the world and react to people the way that Jesus does.  As someone who is non-anxious, because you have nothing to be anxious about. You have been claimed in the waters of baptism, marked as Christ's own forever.  What can anything do to you?  You are safely secured in the arms of the same God who hung the stars in the sky.  Take that into the depths of your heart, into the secret places in your soul, and let that light purge the darkness.  As you do that, you then are ready for the slings and arrows the world will surely throw your way, but you can react to people the way that Jesus does.  You are ready.

Ephesians 6:14

Ephesians 6:14 

English Standard Version 

  What's true anymore?  In a world where AI can produce deepfakes and any video can be manipulated, how do you know what the truth is?  I remember when photoshopping people for magazine covers was big news.  Now you're not even sure if people are real or computer generated.

  Paul tells us to start with the belt of truth.  The belt holds everything together, just as the truth does, and we need it in the world today.  It's not all we have, but if we don't start with the truth, then we can get lost pretty quickly.  Truth matters -- this is why we do the research, read widely, and discover for ourselves whether the Gospel is true.  If it is true, then it matters more than anything else.  Given that it's been studied more than any other book in human history, and everyone has been looking to know if it is true, I believe that it is true, but everyone should look at the evidence and decide for themselves if they think it is true.  Ask big questions of the Bible -- people have been doing so for 2,000 years, and the answers have always, in my opinion, stood up.  

  So let us start with the truth, and base everything on that.

Ephesians 6:10–13

Ephesians 6:10-13 

English Standard Version 

  There are many things I cannot do.  I'm simply not strong enough.  Sometimes, I try and do them on my own anyway, and life reminds me that I am not strong enough.  I am stubborn.

  Often in this life, I try and be strong in myself.  Sometimes it works.  Sometimes I make it halfway.  

  Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord.  When we trust in God's strength, we have more strength than we can imagine.  We are not sufficient in ourselves, but in Christ... then we have real strength, and that strength has shown that it can defeat the biggest things in life that threaten us.  Rules, authorities, cosmic powers -- these are things that my strength cannot approach, but in Christ, clothed in the whole armor of God, we have the ability to withstand evil.

  So pray for God's strength, and do not rely upon your own.  Then, and only then, can you stand firm.

Ephesians 6:5–9

Ephesians 6:5-9 

English Standard Version 

  Paul certainly doesn't need me to defend him, and far wiser minds have delved into this passage to provide an understanding of what Paul is writing about.  

  I once listened to a sermon that pointed out that Paul is actually creating demands on a master that make slavery impossible -- by imploring masters to treat bondservants in the same way, Paul creates a situation of equality in which one individual owning another is impossible.  If masters are expected to treat bondservants in the same way, then how could one claim to own another?  If there is no partiality, and each individual has the same Master in heaven, then they stand on the same footing, and none can claim superiority.  That approach encourages us to look with dignity and equality on all people, treating each as a precious child of God, loving and serving the way God loves and serves us.

Ephesians 6:1–4

Ephesians 6:1-4 

English Standard Version 

  Paul is working his way through family dynamics here, but not just for the sake of compliance or obedience -- it's because he believes that every relationship is an opportunity to glorify God.  Here, Paul is saying that parents ought to think about how God relates to us, and we ought to relate to our children in the same way.  When you think about patience and guidance, it should be viewed with a sense of responsibility, with the goal and hope that our children might thrive.  We can see that God cares deeply how we treat our children, and it should never be taken lightly.  All of it is a responsibility, and all should be undertaken so that each child of God is treated like a person made in the image of God.

Ephesians 5:29–33

Ephesians 5:29-33 

English Standard Version 

  I saw a headline the other day that alluded to the idea that we have our ideas all wrong on the shape of the universe.  I didn't read the article, because I already know that I'm not smart enough to understand it, given that I don't have a current understanding of what the shape of the universe is, but it's a powerful reminder to me that there is much that I do not and cannot know.  So much is beyond our grasp -- we can make mathematical models about the universe, but it's beyond true knowing, as we're inside of it and cannot view it from the outside.

  Such is our relationship with God.  God has revealed a lot to us, but part of it will remain a divine mystery, this side of heaven.  Paul is trying to help us grasp pieces of it, and he tells us that a faithful marriage can help us better understand God's love, but we'll never know the true scope of it.  It's about devotion, and duty, and respect, and love -- each partner in a marriage reflects God's love to the extent that show that to their partner.  We can be a window to God's love for one another.

Ephesians 5:22–28

Ephesians 5:22-28 

English Standard Version 

  Lots of people know about verse 22, where wives are called to submit to husbands.  But we can't life that verse out of the rest of the paragraph. It's not just about wives submitting.  Paul is calling wives to submit, but he's calling husbands to love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church.  How did Christ love the church?  He laid down his life in a sacrificial effort so that the church could thrive.  Paul isn't just focused on one partner -- he's calling both partners in a marriage to love one another with radical selflessness.  He's holding marriage up as a sacred partnership where each partner gives and serves in an attempt to honor the other.  The focus is not on control, but love.  A relationship is forged that reflects the love that Christ has for the church, and a marriage like this glorifies God.  If husbands and wives love and serve one another like this, then each is enriched and cherished and treasured and strengthened.  Paul is holding up each partner as worth loving and serving, and he's teaching the church what Christ's sacrificial love looks like in action in the world today.

Ephesians 5:15–21

Ephesians 5:15-21 

English Standard Version 

  It's hard to be good stewards of our time.  There are so, so many opportunities for distraction.  If we're not careful, we can let our lives slip away, one distracted moment after the next.  Paul is urging us to be wise about how we use our time and our attention.  Be grateful, Paul says, for what God has done, and let that guide your interactions with one another.  In doing so, we learn to worship in every moment, and we don't let distractions lead us far from Christ and one another.  In a world where we so easily put our heads in our devices and watch hours slip away, may we be the ones engaging in love and grace with the people around us, worshiping God through our interactions.

Ephesians 5:11–14

Ephesians 5:11-14

English Standard Version 

  Shame is a hard thing for people to deal with.  Our natural thought is to hide it and hope no one else knows, but it eats away at us, eroding our spirits from the inside.  Here, Paul encourages us to throw our shame into the light, for it is the best disinfectant.  The light of Christ can redeem us, can redeem our past, can redeem us for the future.  We cower in shame and listen to the lies of the enemy that tells us that our shame defines us, but when we expose them, we allow the grace of Christ to redefine us, to remind us of God's love for us, that we are made in the image of God and claimed in the waters of baptism.  

Ephesians 5:6–10

Ephesians 5:6-10 

English Standard Version 

  When I get up in the middle of the night, I walk very gingerly around the room, never quite certain if I've left something in the middle of the floor that wasn't a problem when the lights were on.  In the dark, it's far more treacherous.  Turn on the lights, and after the adjustment, I can walk very, very differently.

  The same is true of our walk with Christ.  We walk carefully in the dark, for danger lurks with every step.  However, when we're covered in grace and mercy, we can be confident, because we don't have to be afraid.  We discern the best next step, but rather than live in anxiety, we can trust in the love and perfection of Christ that has claimed us.  We no longer belong to fear.  We are Christ's, and in Him we are safe.

Ephesians 5:3–5

Ephesians 5:3-5 

English Standard Version 

*************

  There's been any number of debates about sex in the church over the last few centuries.  And they're worth having -- when we submit all of life to God, that includes our physical lives.

  But while we have untold hours of debate about sex, do we also have debate about greed and covetousness?  In the church, we often get so focused on sexual sins that we forget there are other sins.  Here in Ephesians 5, Paul is putting greed on the same level as sexual immorality.  We tend to think one is more serious than the other, but the Bible teaches us that all sin separates us from God and corrupts our relationships with one another.  We can do greed in private, and no one else will know about it... but it still rots us, hollowing us out, and we need Christ to redeem that part of our lives as well.  

  So let us lay everything before Christ.  When we confess our sins, we should include everything.  Christ has come to heal and restore, thanks be to God!

Ephesians 5:1–2

Ephesians 5:1-2 

English Standard Version 

  Every trip through the airport involves a walk by Auntie Anne's pretzels, where the aroma of sugar covered pretzels wafts across the concourse and always smells amazing.  I don't know that I've ever actually had one, but the smell always brings joy.  

  Paul talks about Christ's death as a fragrant offering, and I think of it the same way.  Christ dying on the cross is meant to waft around the community, bringing joy to those who were trapped in sin because they see the depth of God's love for them.  It's strange that it would be death on a cross that would bring joy, but such is the love of God -- it will pay any price to redeem you from sin and despair.  So the more we contemplate that, the more we are pushed to love one another, and so we then walk in love because of the great love with which Christ has loved us.  The offering of Christ moves around the world, touching hearts, changing lives, and pointing us towards the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:31–32

Ephesians 4:31-32

English Standard Version 

  Most of us have boxes that we've moved from place to place and still haven't unpacked.  There is a weight there that we barely notice -- it just blends into the background.  

  Bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander can do the same -- we carry them for so long that they become a part of us, and we don't notice the way they weigh down the soul.  When I run for President, maybe this will be my slogan -- imagine how much more at peace we'd be as a country if we could set down our anger and malice and wrath and be kind to one another, rather than react out of fear or bitterness that we've been carrying around for years.  If we realized the incredible gift of forgiveness that we didn't deserve and thought about how that should shape our interactions with others.  Think about how that could change a family, a community, a country!  Who can you start with?

Ephesians 4:28–30

Ephesians 4:28-30 

English Standard Version 

  I think about the passage in Matthew where Jesus tells us that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.  It's like an overflow of a dam -- our words reflect what is within us.  The more grace and wisdom we take in from God, the more we reflect that back to the world, and in the same way, when we do not invest in our relationship with God, it's easy to be less gracious to others, because when we understand the grace God has extended to us and root ourselves in this daily, we're more likely to be gracious to others.  

  This is why Paul is telling the Ephesians that the thief should no longer steal -- if he continues to steal after converting to Christianity, it's evidence that his conversion isn't very deep.  In the same way, we're called to treat one another in a way that reflects the work the Holy Spirit is doing in our own lives, thus reflecting the grace of God to the world.

Ephesians 4:25-27

Ephesians 4:25-27 

English Standard Version

  Paul doesn't tell us not to get angry.  There are plenty of things worth getting angry about.  I was reading an article the other day about the number of people in abject poverty due to violent conflicts in Africa that have persisted for years.  It was heartbreaking... and worth getting angry about.  We should get angry about suffering and injustice in the world.

  What Paul warns us about is letting anger linger in our souls, because it starts to change us.  If we let the anger be the voice that persists over years, it can drown out every other voice.  Paul is telling us to watch out for anger, to deal with it quickly, and therefore to ensure that anger doesn't remain the guiding force in our lives.  Let the things in the world that make us angry help us decide how to act, but then we can set aside the anger and move forward in love.

Ephesians 4:20–24

Ephesians 4:20-24 

English Standard Version 

  This passage reminds me of a dressing room, where we have a completely new set of clothes, and we set aside our old ones to put on the new.  If we're to focus on the price tags, we'd realize that we cannot afford them, but someone else has paid, and the new clothes are a complete renewal of our minds, created not in our image, but in the likeness of God reflecting righteousness and holiness.

  We walk out of that dressing room having been renewed by the grace and mercy of God.  What a marvelous gift -- to be loved in such a way that the old is taken away and the new is perfect, calling us into an entirely new way of life.  We love with selflessness, we serve with focus on the other, and we are bold to trust completely in God.

Ephesians 4:17–19

Ephesians 4:17-19 

English Standard Version

  Paul is never shy about calling out sins in his letters.  His comments on sensuality and sexuality get the most publicity, but there are plenty of comments about greed, most of which we like to gloss over, because most of us experience greed in some way, shape, or form, and that's a much more private sin.  It's far easier to focus on the visible sins of others than to accept criticism of our sins.  

  But Christianity is a faith where the door is left open for all of us to walk through and experience the grace and mercy of Christ.  We're not accepted because we're perfect -- we're accepted because Christ is perfect, and so we're called to walk in the light, in new life, and put away the sins of our past.  Christ is calling -- what do you need to set down to answer with all of your heart?

Ephesians 4:15–16

Ephesians 4:15-16 

English Standard Version 

  We live in very individualistic times.  It's all about the self, to the point where some people would encourage you to jettison any idea of community that doesn't just affirm you all the time.  

  Here in Ephesians, Paul is reminding us that we grow together.  Christ is the head, and we're all connected, one to another in a big community.  

  So we have a responsibility -- how do we hold each other together, while keeping Christ at the center?  How do we think about ourselves as part of an entire body, rather than on our own?

Ephesians 4:11-14

Ephesians 4:11-14 

English Standard Version 

  What's the purpose of leadership in the church?  It's to equip each and every one of the saints of the church for the work of ministry.  Ministry isn't relegated to the professionals, and it doesn't just happen in the church.  We're all called to join together for the purpose of declaring the Gospel to the world, announcing that we don't have to deal with the instability and chaos the world loves.  We can anchor ourselves into something deeper, something true, something lasting and eternal, none of which the world can offer.  

  May we take our calling seriously, studying the Word and praying through our days, relying on the Holy Spirit to keep our feet steady and our hearts focused on Christ and on Christ alone.

Ephesians 4:7-10

Ephesians 4:7-10 

English Standard Version 

  When you see flowers blooming, do you stop?  I always do the first time... but it's easy to take them for granted after that.  We get accustomed to them and they fade into the background.  We don't stop to stare and wonder at the their intricate beauty.  We're too busy for that.... we have places to be.

  Do you ever stop to appreciate that Christ came?  We talk about it a lot, as we should.  But stop for a moment and consider it.  He descended and ascended, all for the purpose of delivering grace to the world.  He did it to fill all things.  Don't brush by this... Christ loves you and wants to fill your life with grace, and so Christ descended from on high, and then ascended once more to show the power and depth of his love.  Wonder at this fact.  Sink into it.  It's amazing!

Prayer for Today:  God, help me be lost in wonder, love and praise at the miracle of your incarnation, a pure gift of love.

Ephesians 4:4-6

Ephesians 4:4-6 

English Standard Version 

  The world doesn't agree on much.  Our family cannot agree on whether mustard or ketchup is the superior condiment.  Other families are torn apart by the debate around the designated hitter.  Still others cannot decide if chili is a soup or not.  

  Think of all the various things that divide the world, from physical boundaries to political debates.  8 billion people and 12 billion opinions.

  So how powerful it is to have something that cuts across borders, across ideologies, across differences of opinion.  We have one common hope in Christ.  We have one faith, one baptism, one God.  The Christian church is a big tent, and Christ is over all and through all and in all.  In him, we are united.  In him, we have hope.  In him, we gather and are sent.

Prayer for Today: Lord, thank you for the one hope we have.  Give me your vision to see ways to find common ground with those around me.

Ephesians 4:1-3

Ephesians 4:1-3 

English Standard Version 

  What do you hear when Paul says he is a prisoner for the Lord?  He certainly spent plenty of time in jail due to his public ministry professing Jesus Christ as Lord, which neither the Jews nor the Romans were particularly fond of.  

  But Paul may well have meant more.  He is captive to the Lord's love and mercy -- it has captured his heart, and he wants to go nowhere else.  He willingly has bound himself to Jesus, no matter where the road may take him, because the sweetness of the Gospel has so overwhelmed him that nothing the world can offer would come close to duplicating the sense of eternal fulfillment that the Gospel offers him.

  Meanwhile, I think of the things that hold our attention captive.  We become prisoners to our phones and to the television and the narratives they are spinning, often rooted in fear or scarcity.  We're spellbound by so many mini-narratives that play out every day, be it relationship or community dramas that matter on an immediate timeframe, but so many of them have little ability to endure.  Like a sparkler on a July evening, they flare and burn out in a moment.  

  But we're moving so fast, we rarely stop and think about how we spend our time and where we give our attention.  Often time feels cheap, when in reality it's the most precious resource we have.  Paul is calling us to choose wisely how we invest ourselves, and he's reminding us that we're part of an eternal community.  Therefore, we ought to treat one another well, to think about the humility and gentleness that Jesus assumed when he walked this earth.  He didn't have to be humble and gentle -- he chose to, for a reason.  If we want to imitate him, and I struggle to think of reasons why we wouldn't want to imitate the single greatest, wisest, and most powerful person that has ever lived, then shouldn't we strive to be humble and gentle in the world as well?  If Christ treated his enemies with grace, then perhaps we should seek to do the same, no matter how hard it might be?

  Bearing with one another in love is no easy thing.  I think of God speaking to Moses in the wilderness, talking about the Israelites as a group of stiff-necked people.  But God loved them through the wilderness, and God loves us through the wildernesses we find ourselves in as well.  What a gift that is.  Maybe we can engage with the world on the basis of gratitude, spending enough time in God's Word that our own hearts become captive to the Lord, which then transforms the way we treat and serve one another.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Ephesians 3:20-21 

English Standard Version 

  How's your imagination?  I bet you can imagine some pretty marvelous things.  

  Paul's was probably pretty good.  After all, he'd seen amazing things.  He'd miraculously survived shipwrecks, seen his life transformed, watched healings and seen churches across the known world.  He could probably imagine some pretty wild things.

  So it takes a lot for him to say that God could do abundantly more than what we could ask or imagine.  

  But that's how incredible God is.  God's capabilities outstretch our imaginations.  So let us not think too small of God.  God holds the universe in God's hands, and God cares deeply for you.  God can do anything, and God chooses to liberate you from the clutches of sin and death and to build a Kingdom with you forever.

  Forever and ever. 

 Amen.

Prayer for Today:  God, be the glory in my life today, and do amazing things through me.  May I be in awe of you and rest securely in your love.

Ephesians 3:17-19

Ephesians 3:17-19 

English Standard Version 

  Do you ever go for a walk in the woods?  I'm always amazed at the ways trees root themselves.  Some of them seem to be barely hanging on to a rock or a cliff, roots going in every direction as they grab for safety.  Other trees have toppled over and you can see the enormity of the roots that allowed them to grow for decades, centuries even.  Trees roots are what anchor them through storms and give them water when the world is dry.  Roots keep them stable and allow them to grow.

  The same is true for us when we root in God's love.  If we let that love in, then the Holy Spirit does a work in us, and with all the saints in the church, we are transfixed by God, filled with the fullness of God, in awe of love that surpasses knowledge.  The love of God, that which reaches for us before we are even aware of it, is an amazing thing.  Why root ourselves in anything else?  

Prayer for Today:  Lord, help me to sink my roots deep into your love.  When I reach for something else, remind me that true nourishment is found in you.  May I know that your love never lets me go.

Ephesians 3:14-16

Ephesians 3:14-16 

English Standard Version

  Remember watching Superman and marveling at his extraordinary capabilities to solve problems through strength?  Did you wish for the same thing?  Imagine the good we could do with his kind of strength!

  Here, Paul isn't praying for outer strength.   Paul is praying for something quieter but even more extraordinary.  Paul is praying that the riches of God's glory give you inner strength -- strength we often don't know we have, strength to endure the struggles that we face on a daily basis, strength that comes from the Holy Spirit working through a community of believers.  May God grant each of us this strength, that we may persevere for the glory of God in the world, serving God and serving one another, faithfully enduring to the end.

Prayer for Today:  God, fill me with the strength to hope, the strength to serve, the strength to continue to believe.  Fill us with the power of your Spirit, that we may continue to let your light shine through us.

Ephesians 3:7–13

Ephesians 3:7-13 

English Standard Version 

  One of the things I deeply admire about Paul is his humility -- it is genuine and it is grounding.  He remembers who he was, and what God has done for him.  He went from a weapon pointed at the heart of the Christian church to an advocate for the unsearchable riches of Christ, and he recognizes that while it doesn't make sense to him, it is the wisdom of the God who created all things.  

  Paul reminds us that we often don't understand how God is at work.  It can be a mystery to see God's hand in things at times, but Paul reminds us that we don't have to grasp it all.  We can't wrap our minds around God, but the same God that created all things has granted you access through Christ.  So let us also not lose heart but continue to trust in God.

Prayer for Today:  Lord, let your grace shape our hearts, that we might proclaim your love in word and deed.

Ephesians 3:1–6

Ephesians 3:1-6 

English Standard Version 

  Do you ever read or watch mysteries?  What's remarkable is that the author leaves clues throughout the story, but the detective is the only one who assembles the clues into a narrative to solve the puzzle.  At the end, they tell everyone the solution, and then everyone looks back and can see clearly what was hidden throughout the story.  It's a mystery to everyone, and then all becomes clear. 

  In the same way, the Gospel is a mystery revealed through the Holy Spirit for the world to grasp.  It was obscure to many, but God used people like Paul to spread the Good News that the Gospel is for all.  The Gentiles are made fellow heirs through the work of Christ on the cross.  

  We have the fortune of standing and looking back and seeing more of the story. May we take advantage of the opportunity to view more of the story, trusting in the same God who will lead us forward into the greater mystery.

Prayer for today:  God of mystery, thank you for using Scripture to open our eyes to the wonders of your love.  Help us see the world through your eyes and to love the same way that you love.

Ephesians 2:19-22

Ephesians 2:19-22 

English Standard Version 

  Have you seen a picture of a castell?  Those are the human towers built in Catalonia at festivals.  They can be up to 10 stories high, which seems a little terrifying if you're up on the top and someone six layers down sneezes.  In such a structure, you are likely very, very aware of how dependent we are upon one another.  

  The church is no different.  We have a better cornerstone, for that is Christ himself, upon whom the whole structure rests.  The Holy Spirit is at work, building a dwelling place for God, made up of your fellow citizens and saints and the members of the household of God.  What an amazing reality -- God is building us into a house, and we are united with believers in every time and place.  We're not in this on our own -- we have an amazing support system, and unlike human towers and structures that depend on human strength and are therefore liable to topple over, this one is built on God and is therefore stable.  We can trust it.

  Which means we can rest.  Everything doesn't depend on you.  You don't have to be perfect.  Christ is.  We are flawed, but God is at work in each of us, in all of us, and building something beautiful.  

Prayer for Today: Lord, thank you for building me into something amazing.  Give me the wisdom to look out for my fellow believers today.

Ephesians 2:17-18

Ephesians 2:17-18 

English Standard Version 

  I like to be comfortable.  I like to go to places I know, and I try and avoid places with conflict.  It's no fun.

  What always amazes me about the ministry of Jesus is that he didn't just go to the people who were near to God.  He went to the people that were far off. He didn't mind to travel, even though it meant he had to walk all over the place.  He was compelled to reach people far from God, who had no idea what God was up to or why God was in the neighborhood.  Such is the love of God.  The far off sheep is just as precious as the one near the shepherd.  All are given access to God.  

Prayer for Today:  Lord, thank you for access to God through your amazing love.  Remind me that I am never too far gone for your love, and open the eyes of my heart to see others in the world through this same lens.

Ephesians 2:14-16

Ephesians 2:14-16 

English Standard Version 

  I remember when my mom took me to the George Patton museum decades ago, and there was a piece of the Berlin wall there.  It's hard for me to grasp what it would have been like, suddenly divided from the other part of town, isolated in a strange way by a concrete barrier.  

  The Jews and Gentiles were divided, but Christ came to tear all division down.  He came to make peace, reconciling us to one another and to God.  I talk about this a lot, but we so often forget that the cross has a vertical and horizontal component.  In the American church, we've isolated the work of Christ to the vertical piece, where we are reconciled to God.  This is obviously critically important, but we cannot miss the horizontal piece, where Christ is seeking to make peace between divided communities.  We are all on equal footing before God, all of us sinners and justified through the grace of God.  None is better than another. 

  It should change the way we look at the world.  Like Pharaoh, it's easy for me to harden my heart towards people or groups I disagree with.  They clearly need to get with the program, right?  Right?  

  But we are all sinners, dependent upon the mighty work that Christ did on the cross.  Gratitude should define us, and lead us into places of reconciliation.  

Prayer for Today:  Jesus, thank you for tearing down the division between me and you.  Help me to be an instrument of peace in my community, reconciling one with another through my words and deeds.

Ephesians 2:11-13

Ephesians 2:11-13 

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever been really, really thirsty?  That first drink is so refreshing.  Similarly, the first bite of food when we're really hungry tastes fantastic.  It's like the arrival section in an airport -- people are overjoyed to see loved ones from whom they have been separated.  The distance makes us grow fonder.

  Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus and reminding them that they were hopeless before Christ.  They were isolated from God, like sheep who had gone astray, but God came searching for them and brought them near.  At great cost, as well -- Paul reminds them that it was through the blood of Christ that they have been bought.  

  This is Good News -- and a reminder to us all.  The Gentiles were hopeless, but God sought them out and created hope.  When we are hopeless, all is not lost.  God is at work in us, too.  There are no causes too lost for God.

Prayer for Today:  Lord, thank you for seeking me out through the Gospel, at any price.  Remind me that there is always hope in you, no matter how dark the night may seem.

Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8-10 

English Standard Version 

  I'm sure you've seen a cartoon somewhere with a baby bear growling at an imposing enemy, with the result being that the enemy turns and runs, but then the camera zooms out and we see the baby bear's mother looming behind it, and the baby bear realizes that the enemy fled out of fear of the mother, not the baby bear's growl.  For a moment, the baby thought it was terrifying, only to realize the real source of strength later.

  That's how I feel when I read this passage, and I give thanks that it doesn't depend on me.  I get things wrong.  In a world where we are often measured according to our output, all of us are under endless amounts of pressure to deliver.  

  Thanks be to God that the Gospel works differently.  Here, we are saved through grace, a free gift of God.  We don't boast in ourselves, but rather we savor the grace of God.  

  Of course -- it's not meant to be a dead-end street.  We are God's workmanship, and we're saved for good works. There is a reason we are saved -- we should walk in the way of grace in the world.  God saves us to be part of Christ's church, and that community of believers is sent into the world to love with the same ferocity with which we are loved.  

How to Pray:  Lord, thank you for the free gift of grace that saves.  Help me to walk in the light of grace as I move through the world today.