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.

Ephesians 2:4-7

Ephesians 2:4-7 

English Standard Version 

  The first two words of this verse are some of the most beautiful and hopeful in Scripture.  Remember -- we were dead in sin.  The lights were out.  Doors had been locked.  

  But God...

  God wasn't going to leave us in despair and in death.  God loves us too much.  I love that Paul gives us the reason that God intervenes.  It wasn't because God was lonely or had made a bet that God didn't want to lose.  God loved us so much, and God's love is so great, that even though we were dead, God wanted to find a way.

  Think about this -- remember back to a few verses ago when we were talking about how powerful God is.  God has channeled all of that power into saving you from death.  And not just saving you, but raising you up into the heavenly places.  God loves you and wants to show you the riches of God's grace through kindness.  What better riches are there?  The riches of this world can buy you stuff, but that stuff will break or get lost or might be stolen.  God's riches -- they save you from death and have bought you a place in heaven with Jesus.

  So sleep well, friends.  God's love surrounds you, and the immensity of God's power comes to you in kindness!

Ephesians 2:1-3

Ephesians 2:1-3 

English Standard Version 

  When we think about sin, we don't think of ourselves as dead.  We think of ourselves as having made mistakes, but usually nothing fatal.  They were bad choices, things we could have done better, but it's the same that everyone else is doing, right?  Dead seems extreme.  As a society, we proclaim that as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, it's probably okay.  

  Paul is reminding us that sin is far more serious than that.  Sin has caused a permanent rift between us and God, one that we cannot fix on our own.  Without a solution, we are dead, and we need to take this seriously.  We can't drift on autopilot just assuming that it is fine... sin has created a problem, and we need a solution.

  Fortunately, God came up with a solution.  We were dead, but as Scripture shows us, death isn't the end of the story.  As someone once said, Christ turns death into a gardener, planting seeds that will grow up into something beautiful, something wonderful, something lively.  Thanks be to God that despite our sin, we have hope for life because of what God has done.

Ephesians 1:19-23

Ephesians 1:19-23 

English Standard Version 

 A friend of mine was staying with some very rich people at their house, and he asked them how they cleaned branches off the top of the screened in pool, and the lady looked at him and said, "We have people for that."

  Powerful people delegate.  They send other people to do things, particularly unpleasant things.  

  Jesus is the most powerful person that has ever lived.  Paul is speaking here of the immeasurable greatness of Christ's power.  Christ is above all rule and authority and power and dominion, with all things under his feet.  Do you get the picture of Christ's power?

  This is the same Jesus who ascended the cross to die for you.  Such is his love, there was no delegating.  Christ did it on his own, because he wanted to be sure that your sins were forgiven.  Atonement needed to be made, and there was no delegation.  Christ did it himself, because he loves you.

Ephesians 1:15-18

Ephesians 1:15-18 

English Standard Version 

  This is one of my favorite passages... imagine someone not ceasing to give thanks for you, hoping that the eyes of your heart are opened to know the hope of Christ, the riches of God's glorious inheritance.  How would you feel to know that someone was praying like that for you?  It'd probably be pretty exciting to pray like that for someone else -- it's like giving a gift, where you get so excited about giving a really good gift that it uplifts your spirit, too!  The more you focus on someone else living in the joy of God's hope, the stronger your own hope becomes.  

  I hope you find time to pray for someone like that today, and I hope you let them know.  May your own heart be enlightened by the same Spirit of wisdom and of revelation.

Ephesians 1:11-14

Ephesians 1:11-14 

English Standard Version 

  In the Presbyterian church, we don't often think about the work of the Holy Spirit.  We're so focused on Christ and his mission and ministry, and studying the work of God in creation, that we omit discussion of the Holy Spirit.  Frederick Bruner, a Biblical scholar whom I have much admiration for, wrote a book calling the Holy Spirit the shy member of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit's job is to point us to Christ and to assure us of our salvation, our inheritance, so that we don't become discouraged.  It isn't easy to maintain a constant hope in Christ -- there are roadblocks along the way.  Isn't it good news to know that God realizes this and has, as part of God's identity, an aspect reaching out to us to lift our eyes back to the hills, from whence our help comes?  Such is God's love for you that God has structured salvation in such a way so that you don't become overwhelmed by cares of the world, but rather that you might have moments of hope in the midst of challenges.  This doesn't mean there won't be challenges, but we are invited to be still, to let the Holy Spirit minister to us, to pray for us with sighs too deep for words, as Scripture says, and to remind us of our sealing in Christ.

Ephesians 1:7-10

Ephesians 1:7-10 

English Standard Version 

  Just read that, over and over and over and over and over again.  Christ has redeemed you, despite your sins, through the riches of the grace that are poured over you, and it wasn't a last minute plan to suddenly adjust for some unexpected detours... this has been the plan all along, that everything in the universe would be united around Christ.

  You are part of that plan.

  You are important enough to have been on God's mind from the beginning, and through the end.  I don't understand for a moment how all this works... but I thank God that I can look at the resurrection and trust that it does work.

  So don't doubt that you are beloved and treasured by God.  The riches of God's grace, better than any riches the world can offer, are poured into your life, thanks be to God!

Ephesians 1:3-6

Ephesians 1:3-6 

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever dealt with imposter syndrome?  It's that feeling that you don't belong, or that if someone else found out about who you truly were, then they'd surely kick you out.  It's an awful feeling, made worse by the fact that it's rarely based in reality.  I've come to the realization that most of us are simply making it up as we go, doing the best we can to get by.  

  Well, I don't think most of us often feel blameless and holy before God.  I certainly don't.  Do you feel like you've been blessed with every spiritual blessing?  That's a hard thing for most of us to grasp.  Often, when I come before God, I feel like I need to spend a few minutes beforehand stuffing some things in the closet and hoping God doesn't notice!  

  But Paul is writing this because he knows that most of us don't feel this way.  That's why we need to be reminded that our feelings can deceive us.  This is true, regardless of whether we feel it or not.  Our identities have been transformed because of God, and that doesn't matter if you feel that when you wake up.  It's true because of what Christ has done, not because of what we have or haven't done.  It's an identity change -- we have been adopted through an act of sheer grace by Christ.  The more we're reminded, the more opportunities we have to live into it, to let it define us and how we interact with one another.

  But it's true. You belong to God, and the world cannot change that, no matter how much the world may bombard your heart with other messages.  Let Scripture remind you of what is really true -- you are God's!

Ephesians 1:1-2

Ephesians 1:1-2 

English Standard Version 

  What would you write?  If you were to write a letter to a group of believers, encouraging them in their faith, what would you say?  Paul likely wrote this from prison, trying to encourage the believers in unity, reminding them of Christ's holiness, and thus the call for them to live holy lives.  What would you say to such a people?  How would you put Christ on a pedestal, worthy of worship, while also lifting up the people so they are encouraged to emulate Christ.  They're not perfect, and cannot achieve perfection, but need to hear words of support as they struggle with real life.

  It's a hard thing to know exactly what to say.  We all read Paul's letters and think that we could never write anything so clear, so powerful.  I sometimes wonder if Paul would say the same thing -- he allowed the Holy Spirit to speak through him in amazing ways.

  What does it look like for us to do the same today?  How can we encourage someone else?  The Holy Spirit still speaks to us and through us, that the body of believers may be an encouragement.

Psalm 25:1-5

Psalm 25:1-5 

English Standard Version 

  It's hard to be led.  Don't you get anxious if you don't know where you're going?  When I'm sitting on a plane, the pilot usually comes on after they've shut the door and says they're excited to be flying us to Reno, and there's a moment where I wonder what I would do if they said a different city than the one listed on my ticket.  The door's shut and you're on the plane until they open it, but it'd be a weird few hours, thinking you were heading somewhere very different than you actually were.  We don't like giving up control, and to do so without knowledge... that's a hard step for us.

  When it comes to faith, we can easily acknowledge with our words that we trust God and will follow wherever God leads.

  But to actually lean into that, to do that with our hearts and minds, giving up control and accepting that we don't know where the path leads...  Not an easy step to take with our lives.

  But if God is the God of our salvation, then is there another option that leads to true life?  Any other path is simply fooling ourselves that we can save ourselves (which we often try and do).  Only God can save us.  Only God can deliver us.

  So will you truly trust God and lean into the divine mystery?

  Or hold onto the reins yourself, even though you know that you cannot get where you most need to be without the love and grace of God?

Soccer in the rain and the Gospel

Exodus 25:1-9

Exodus 25:1-9 

English Standard Version 

  I have always said that if I lived in downtown Cincinnati, I wouldn't be able to stop buying Reds season tickets so that I could drop in to baseball games whenever they were home.  If I were in walking distance, how could I not go to a game when they were right there?  They're so close... I would have to go.  I'd want to be in the stadium to experience the game.

  Scripture paints a picture of intimacy between God and the Israelites.  One of the first instructions that Moses receives is for an offering, all for the purpose of building a sanctuary, that God may dwell in their midst.  God wants to be near them.  God loves the people and wants there to be a place set aside to spend time with them.  And wouldn't it be even better if it were built out of a freewill offering, motivated by gratitude, given in thanks by the people?

  It makes me ask myself... how do I make time for God?  Where in my life am I creating space to spend time with the God who loves me, whom I love?  Where does that exist, and why do I let so many other things compete for space?  They are louder, but none are lovelier.  So many cause stress and heartache, and yet because they are more demanding, more pressing, I turn to them.  

  May we all pray for wisdom to discern, wisdom to discipline ourselves, that there may be a communion in our lives between us and God, that we may be enriched by God in our midst.

Exodus 24:15-18

Exodus 24:15-18 

English Standard Version 

  All of Scripture is pointing back to the creation story, and all of Scripture is pointing ahead to Christ.  In creation, God works for 6 days, and all things are done, so God rests and enjoys communion with God's creation.  Things are complete.  In the same way, the Lord's glory covers the mountain for 6 days, creating the atmosphere where God can then commune with Moses on the mountain, so that the people of God can be re-created here at Mt. Sinai.  

  This process takes forty days, the same number of days that Christ goes into the wilderness to prepare for his public ministry, the same number of years the Israelites will dwell in the wilderness before they enter the Promised Land.  

  Scripture is a spiral, returning to the same point over and over, and yet the people are different, having grown, having learned about God, traveling forward, ever closer to the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

  We are the same way -- we grow every year as we return to the same points -- to Lent, to Advent, to Easter, to Christmas, to Pentecost.  We change, we grow, and so we are not the same, and every year, we are closer to the fullness of the Kingdom of God.  The more we learn about our past, about our history, the better we understand the future, and the people we are called to be.  We don't leave the past behind, but grow out of it, into a future where the past is redeemed and we are restored to right relationship with God and one another.

Sermon for May 4, 2025 on Mark 9

Exodus 24:1-3, 9-11

Exodus 24:1-3

English Standard Version 

  This is one of the most remarkable passages in all of Scripture in my opinion, and wildly underreported.  We often hear about how God places Moses in the cleft of a rock and God's glory passes over Moses, but we don't think about the earlier part where Moses and Aaron, along with 70 other elders of Israel, go up on the mountain with God and eat and drink.  They dine with God, and they're clearly overwhelmed by God's glory, for their own language falls short in efforts to describe what is under God's feet.  Even the ground is too glorious for words -- they think it's like sapphire, but clearly superior to that.  

  And I will never stop being amazed that after seeing this incredible thing, Aaron and the others allowed a false altar to be built by the people while Moses was up on the mountain.  They witnessed something incredible... and then came down the mountain and presumed God had forgotten about them.  How could they do that?

  It's easy for me to assume that faith was easier back in Old Testament days, when God seemed more real.  But I don't think it was any easier.  People were just like you and I -- impatient and uncertain, always wondering if they were betting their life in the right direction.  So take heart -- it's not just us that have questions and anxiety and uncertainty.  That's been a constant theme of humanity, and God remains faithful still, gracious in the midst of our broken humanity.  God continues to reach out and make a way forward, thanks be to God!

Exodus 20:17

Exodus 20:17

English Standard Version

  I've always heard that this commandment is a reward for keeping all the others.  If we keep the other commandments, we won't want anyone else's life.  We'll be perfectly at peace with our own, at rest with God, and living in harmony with our neighbors.

  Is it true?  

  I'm not sure... but it's a beautiful thing to strive for.  What does it look like to live selflessly today, to worship God out of gratitude, and to give thanks in all things?

  May we seek God today, and join our the song of our hearts with the choir of the angels in celebrating who God is and how great God's love is.

Exodus 20:8-11

Exodus 20:8-11 

English Standard Version 

  We don't have much focused observation of the sabbath any more.  We've discovered that Sunday is a great day to get things done, just like the other six days of the week.  So we frantically run from task to task, and now we slide at full speed into Monday, rushing ahead, ever faster.

  The sabbath is a gift.  When we stop working on the sabbath, we discover that it isn't our work that keeps the earth spinning.  God is able to sustain things just fine without us, thank you very much.  What a relief that is -- it takes the pressure off us, and it reminds us who is in charge.  We are reminded that our work isn't necessary for our relationship with God, and we rest.  Our bodies and souls rest, and in doing so we practice for the ultimate rest, when we will rest in the fullness of God, when everything is complete.

  We should practice sabbath.  We should do sabbath from work and sabbath from electronics and sabbath from everything that pulls us away from resting in God.  All of it reminds us of what truly matters -- God's sustaining hand that holds all things together, and God's joyous heart that reaches out and invites us in.

Exodus 20:1-6

Exodus 20:1-6 

English Standard Version 

  Did you write thank you cards?  Do you still write them?  I remember as a kid, my mother was always encouraging me to write thank you cards when people sent me gifts.  It was a good discipline, although I have received gifts that were incredibly challenging to know how to say thank you... when an act of generosity overwhelms you, a card can feel very inadequate.  How do you honor a gift, and the giver?  I've seen incredibly moving ceremonies involving the recipients of organ donation.  You can tell that often, words fall short.  

  The 10 Commandments are a thank you card.  They are anchored in what God has done for the Israelites.  They have been liberated for slavery.  The first thing they should do is not run off after other gods.  To do so would be the height of folly (spoiler:  they do this).  God has proven himself more powerful and more gracious than anything else in creation.  God is reminding the people of God's steadfast love.  

  How do we honor God?  Live in such a way that we aren't worshipping false gods.  It's a good start.

Sermon for April 27, 2025

Exodus 19:1-6

Exodus 19:1-6 

English Standard Version 

  You can tell how God loves God's people -- it jumps off the page.  God delights in the people.  Here on the mountain, God starts by reminding Moses of how great God's love for the people is.  Everything else is rooted in this.  

  Today, there will be all sorts of noise in the world.  The news will be bad, and it will be depressing, although there will be some good news.  You will worry or feel anxious, about yourself or someone you love.  There will be uncertainty -- lots of uncertainty!  That is always frustrating, no matter how many times we tell ourselves that we're growing more comfortable with it.  

  Remember, God has born you on eagles' wings across the gulf that separated us from God due to sin.  God brought you to himself.  You are God's treasured possession, and the earth is God's.

  So let us live with a sense of joy in our soul, and may we serve God as a holy people in the midst of all we do.

Exodus 18:15-18

Exodus 18:15-18 

English Standard Version 

  Do you have anyone in your life who can tell you that what you are doing is not good?  I should add a note that says there are different ways to do this... some people will tell you with delight, pointing out that you are wrong, while others will tell you with compassion.  Seek the ones who do so with compassion.  God sends these people into our lives to remind us that we don't have to do everything on our own.  God sends us these people to share the burden, to offer wise counsel.  God doesn't ask us to do everything on our own.  Look at Jesus -- he was in constant community, surrounded by people, serving alongside them.  God provides for us, for our material and spiritual needs.  Sometimes, we need to set down our pride to hear the wise words of others counseling us how to act.  That can be hard, but when we listen to those speaking with compassion into our lives, they are most likely the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding and leading us, that we can continue to grow in sanctification, the process by which God is shaping us into the disciples we will be for all eternity.