Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Matthew 5:1-12

Matthew 5:1-12 
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  The crowds never knew just what Jesus was going to say.  At times, he told challenging parables, while other times he assailed the traditions of the day.  Sometimes, he openly confronted the Pharisees, while other times he was dramatically healing people.  But still they came -- they came because he was so compelling.  He spoke with power and authority, and yet he was also a selfless servant.  He is the most authentic person to have ever lived, and he loved each person. 
  And so they came to hear, and we come, as well.  We gather around Scripture to hear what Jesus has to say to us.  We struggle with many of his teachings, asking big questions about how we are supposed to live into these and what they mean for us, but still we come -- we come because we know that he loves us and we know that he wants us to flourish.  We know that he is the path to eternal life, and so we come, trusting in him and his love, ever hopeful that his words will become clear and that we'll discover what our next step is.
  Here in the Beatitudes, we hear Jesus offering up things that don't make sense when we use our capitalistic first-world lens, but when we step back and recognize that God's vision extends beyond time and space, and that we must learn to empty ourselves before we can allow God to fill us, we begin to see with Kingdom eyes, recognizing that God is often at work in ways we don't understand, and he is calling us to join him in how we live and how we love and how we give -- those who lose their life for the Kingdom will save it.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Matthew 4:23-25

Matthew 4:23-25
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Let's say you're walking along the street and see a child on the ground crying in obvious pain.  Most likely you go to the child, trying in some way to comfort it, soothing their pain and helping them until the worst has passed.
  Now, what if it's a homeless man, in pain in the street.  How do you react?  Do you still go to them, trying to comfort them?  This one's tougher, right?  We all have an internal debate about how hurt they really are and what it might cost us (emotionally, monetarily, physically) if we try and help.
  The central truth of the Gospel is that we were dead in our sins when God reached out to us.  We were in need, and Christ came to us and offered healing and hope and restoration and peace and mercy and forgiveness.  All the things we needed most.  Notice here in the Scripture -- people follow Jesus as he heals and performs miracles.  Those acts draw people in.
  And so I believe the church is at her best when it goes out into the world and serves those in need.  When our acts proclaim mercy and peace, then people are willing to listen to our words.  When our lives are sermons about caring and selfless love, then people's ears are opened to hear us proclaim the ultimate selfless love of Jesus Christ.

Monday, February 26, 2018

Matthew 4:18-22

Matthew 4:18-22 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  To follow Jesus into the unknown waters of discipleship would have required a tremendous amount of trust.  They didn't know what the future held, but they were willing to leave what they knew behind and embark into an uncertain future, all of it rooted in Jesus Christ.  They would have heard about him, but his call must have been so powerful, so personal, that there was an immediate trust in whatever was before them.
  We face the same choice -- how fully do we trust Jesus?  Are we willing to embark into the new, into whatever is before us?  We may have to leave some things behind -- like the worldly crutches we use to prop up our sense of security and self-worth.  It will likely be a challenging transition, as we'll have to learn how to live sacrificially and selflessly, focusing on others and trusting in God to care for us. 
  Jesus calls us into the new, into the deep waters of discipleship.  He assures us that we'll be infinitely cared for, deeply loved, and our future is secure.  Do we trust enough to follow?  Or do we stay safely on the shore, sticking with what we know rather than diving into an uncertain sea?

Friday, February 23, 2018

Matthew 4:12-17

Matthew 4:12-17
English Standard Version (ESV)

  If you're a Cincinnati Bengals fan, you're accustomed to life without postseason success.  No matter how good they may be during the regular season, they fail in the playoffs.  They currently hold the record for how long its been since they won a playoff game -- it's almost 30 years, longer than any other team.  You think this is the way it always is.
  We get used to our surroundings.  We adapt.  It's a skill and a gift, in many ways -- if we're always in the light, we get used to it, and if we're always in the dark, we get used to that as well.
  In a lot of ways, we're used to the dark.  We have grown accustomed to the lack of light, and in some ways, we've forgotten what it's like to see the light.  I know I get so used to my work environment, so used to the way it is, that I often forget to think that it could be any other way.  I can't even dream of what it might be like.
  So when Jesus came, he brought light to the darkness.  The people who were used to dwelling in the region and shadow of death saw a great light, and their lives were changed.  I imagine their entire understanding of how life works was transformed by the arrival of Jesus -- they saw everything differently, as it was bathed in the light of Christ.
  When you go out into the world, it's critical to pray for the wisdom and courage to see the world the way Christ sees it, to not lose sight of the vision of the light shining in the darkness.  If we grow accustomed to the darkness, we'll forget that God has another intention for the world, a grand vision for how things are supposed to be.  Let's not lose sight of that -- don't grow used to the darkness and give up the hopes and dreams of the light.  Focus your vision on how Christ is alive in the world.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Matthew 4:1-11

Matthew 4:1-11
English Standard Version (ESV)

  The key to this passage is at the end of verse 2 -- Jesus was hungry.
  The devil is a pretty crafty character.  He tends to wait until the most opportune times.  When we are strong and able to resist, we might not hear from him, but when we are weak, when we are tired, when we are lonely and frustrated and upset, that's when the temptation tends to turn up.  Our willpower is lowered, our defenses are down, and we are more likely to give in to temptation. 
  If we rely upon ourselves in times like this, we'll likely find ourselves giving in to temptation.  But if you have a community of people, I'm willing to bet that someone else will have some strength that you can borrow to help you get through the tough times.
  Think of it this way -- imagine that you're traveling along a dark path at night with a fading flashlight, heading somewhere very important.  The temptation would be to give up and return back to safety, but then a friend comes along with a flashlight of their own, and they help lead you where you need to be.  In the future, you'll likely have the chance to return the favor, offering someone else your strength when they are in need.
  This is how we work as a community, relying upon one another, always looking to Scripture to lead us forward.  We help one another when we are weak.  That's how the Holy Spirit works in and through us to bind us together and lead us through moments of temptation.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13-17
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  Think about a passport for a moment.  If you're an American citizen and you go abroad, you have a document that demands that you are treated like an American citizen.  If you try and come back home, you don't have to give a detailed account of what kind of person you are and how you have grown up.  You don't have to detail all your childhood wrongs -- you are viewed as an American citizen and welcomed home. 
  This passage has great news for us.  Those of us who bow before Jesus Christ and acknowledge him as Lord and Savior are viewed by God the same way as Jesus Christ.  We aren't seen for our flaws and our sins.  Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, when he gives his perfection to us, we are no longer seen as unworthy -- we are seen as righteous and welcomed before the throne of grace to worship forever along with the saints and angels.  We who were once hopeless due to sin now have the boldness to claim that we are worthy of God's love because of what Christ has done for us.
  That's how much God loves you -- to send his son to transform your standing before God and invite you into eternity.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Matthew 3:1-12

Matthew 3:1-12
 English Standard Version (ESV)

  So I went to the grocery store last night and had a strange experience -- I was walking up and down the aisles, all the while wondering what I would do if someone ran into the store and started shooting. 
  It's a sad reality that I have to contemplate this.  It's far worse that there are kids who are afraid to go to school, and that there are teachers who have to think about how they would protect their students if the worst became reality. 
  I don't have an easy word that makes all of this better.  What I know that I know that I know is that this isn't right -- this isn't the way that things are meant to be.  We all know this, because the hope and joy of heaven is buried within our hearts, and when we see this heartbreak and tragedy, we know that there is an alternative, a better way, and we are longing for that reality to break through and tear down these horrors that consume our modern world. 
  John the Baptist came to proclaim that the Messiah was coming, that God would be breaking into the current world and pointing to the coming Kingdom.  Things would change, and the leadership of the day had the choice to prepare for that new reality and get on board or to resist and find themselves working against what God was doing.
  Today, in our own broken world, filled with joy and wonder and beauty and tragedy and turmoil and chaos and pain and tears and love, God is still breaking in, and we have that same choice -- will we join in with what God is doing, or will we resist and stick to our own way?  We can stubbornly resist and allocate God to a dusty corner of our lives, or we can commit ourselves fully to the grace and glory of God offering all of our time and our lives and our money and our energy and seeing what God might do with that.  We can repent of our sins, of what we have done out of selfishness and what we have failed to do out of fear, and we can bow the knee before the Lordship of Jesus Christ and submit our play and our work to him.
  It is a choice we make daily -- to let God work in and through us.  May we join with the coming Kingdom and align our vision and lives to what God is doing in today's world.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Matthew 2:19-23

Matthew 2:19-23 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I'm not sure Joseph gets the credit he deserves for his ability to pay attention to the dreams sent his way.  Joseph listens, and he follows through on where God is calling him.
  For many of us, it seems like our dreams may be the only time we have for God to speak to us.  We're so busy moving, and there is so much stimulation, that we don't create room in our lives for God to speak.  We always have earbuds in, and we're always scrolling through feeds of some sort for updates on news or social media or some combination of the two.  We're trying to keep up in an avalanche of content, and all this data elbows out any sort of room to hear what God has to say.  By the end of the day, we're too exhausted to do anything but sleep.
  So we can take some comfort in knowing that God speaks through dreams, but also we can take counsel is paying attention to the rhythms and patterns of our days and our lives.  Are they so crammed full that there isn't any margin for God to speak, and if we heard God, would we be too busy to follow his commands?  What's your first priority?  At the end of the day, what do you want to be the most important thing, and how do you establish your day to make that possible?

Friday, February 16, 2018

Matthew 2:16-18

Matthew 2:16-18 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Feels appropriate, doesn't it?  The world is angry at what God promises, and so it lashes out in violence.  Too many children lately are being taken from us.  I don't know the statistic for how many school shootings there have been, but it's too many, and each time the nation laments.  We weep for our children, and we refuse to be comforted, because they are no more.
  I know what the Bible promises us.  It tells us that on the other side of violence stands a deliverer, who does not remain aloof, but rather enters into our mourning with us.  When Pharaoh was killing the children, Moses was saved, and through his life, God delivered his people.  When Herod killed the children, Jesus was saved, and through his life and death, God delivered the people again, once and finally.  We know that, on the other side of the gulf, there is life in God.
  But that knowledge doesn't always make the valley in between any easier.  God has promised to abide with us in the darkest chapters of our lives, but the darkness is still dark, closing in around us, threatening to smother us.  I believe and I hope and I cling to the light, but we still weep for our children, we still lament, and we look for ways the Spirit is leading us out into the world to proclaim a message of life and a message of hope and to work for peace, both in our communities and to push for peace in the world.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Matthew 2:13-15

Matthew 2:13-15 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I was on a trip with a friend once when we decided to take a 'short cut'.  Many hours later, the road we thought led back to the highway ended up  in a driveway of a family who was not happy to see us.  Needless to say, we got out of there quickly.
  Life takes its twists and turns.  Who would have predicted that the Messiah would return to Egypt for safety, so many years after the Israelites fled centuries of slavery in Egypt and sought freedom in the Promised Land?  Egypt was a place from which to flee, and yet God redeems it in a way.
  Life changes over the years.  Things that we once believed were negative turn out to be blessings in disguise.  Pain heals and scars remind us of our strength and the grace of God and the gift of community.  Some things remain painful memories, while others point to the sustaining love of God.  Life takes its twists and turns, and God turns our weeping into laughter and our mourning into dancing.  May we trust in the God who offers redemption and grace to cover our sins.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Today, on Valentine's Day, we celebrate love.  We're great at buying flowers and sending cards and taking people out to dinner.  It's good to celebrate love, to strengthen our relationships and set aside time to show love to the people around you.  We often end up taking for granted those we love the most, and we sometimes forget to take the time to tell and show the how much we love them.  (Rachel is nodding her head right now, as I'm certainly guilty of this!)
  When we celebrate love today, let us remember that all of our love is rooted in God, and it all points to God, and all selfless love reminds us of the way that God loves us.  Love is the very best that we can do as humans -- when we love purely, we are imitating God, who love us fiercely and sacrificially and freely.  God pours his love out upon us, even when we do not deserve it, and it never ends.  All else in the world will fade away, and all that will be left is the love of God binding us to him. 
  So let the celebration of love today remind you of God's pure love for you.  You are loved unconditionally and freely.  You are loved beyond what you can imagine, and you will be loved forever.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I always love the wise men's ability to listen.  Think of all the things that they catch in this verse.  First, they are paying attention to the sky.  They saw the star when it rose -- either they were looking for it, or they were looking for something else and noticed something new and were willing to adapt to new information.  Upon seeing it, they acted upon it, taking considerable risk and investing considerable resources in traveling to see the child.  Their vision led to action -- which is a step we often fail to take.
  Upon arriving in Jerusalem, they met Herod, listening to what he had to say and going on their way.  They were able to discern that what Herod had to say might not be the best thing to listen to -- and when they were later warned in a dream, they were able to hear where God was leading them and return home by avoiding Herod.  They listened and took a risk -- even though they may not have been followers of God. 
  The wise men pay attention.  Looking at the night sky, they see countless stars, but they notice the one that is the most important, and when they see it, they are led into action.  May we listen to Scripture and the voice of the Holy Spirit with the same open hearts, and may it lead us to follow, to love and to serve.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  The light shines in the darkness.  It's interesting to think about the time just before Jesus was born.  What was the hope of the people?  Did they have a spirit of expectation?  Were they excited for what God might do?  Were they concerned about the state of the world and wondering if God was still paying attention?
  There's certainly plenty of darkness going around the world right now.  The Olympics are always a bright spot of peace in a world struggling with turmoil.  This year, in this location, seems even more important as we pray for peace.  Here in Columbus, the town has been shattered by the deaths of two police officers, gunned down in the line of duty.  The violence bubbles at the top, ready to boil over, and we all wonder when peace will prevail.
  We know and trust that God is here, that God is at work. May we have expectant hearts, looking into the world for signs that God is doing something dramatic.  I don't know what the atmosphere was like just before Jesus was born, but I like to think there were people ready and waiting for God to do something amazing.  May we share the same spirit and have the same ready hearts, eager to love and serve and join in with what God is doing.  May we recognize the darkness around us and let the light shine through us to bring hope into the world.

Friday, February 9, 2018

Hebrews 9:11-14

Hebrews 9:11-14 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  How much more...
  Every once in a while, I'll cook a pretty good dinner.  Most of the time, I'll sit down to eat something that I've cooked and think that if I had more time or more fresh herbs or more knowledge cooking, then it would taste better.  How much better would this be if an expert chef cooked it?  How much more would I enjoy the meal if it was served to me by a master chef while sitting on the beach?  While I can cook decently, someone else could make the same meal much better.
  In the same way, we tried for centuries to atone for our own sins through sacrifices, but we just couldn't do it properly -- our sin gets in the way.  So Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human, perfect in every way, comes along and offers himself as a sacrifice for sins.  How much more effective is his sacrifice?  It purifies us in a way we could never purify ourselves.  His sacrifice, his perfect love, is able to do more than we could do on our own.  Thanks be to God!

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Luke 20:1-8

Luke 20:1-8 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's interesting to me that they approach Jesus when he finishes his teaching in the temple.  There's certainly the angle that they are trying to trap him, hoping he'll say something wrong so that they can then convict him of some form of blasphemy and then be rid of him.  (It's fascinating to think how frustrated these temple leaders must have been when they realized that this was the plan all along -- their best efforts to rid themselves of Jesus only served to fulfill his destiny and launch Christianity into the world.) 
  There's another angle, too.  They had questions.  Jesus taught with authority, and they wanted to know more. 
  The best sermons should do this, right -- leave people wanting more.  Leave people with questions, so that they leave church and pursue the answers.  Preaching should unsettle us in a way, so that we are led forward, pointed in a direction and left to pursue it.  Our brains should be active when we listen to preaching, so that we are processing what is being said and ready to follow up if something doesn't make sense.  One of the things I appreciate most about the Presbyterian church is that listeners are encouraged to ask questions if they don't agree with or understand the preacher.  Let us be a community of people who think for ourselves and ask the big questions, so that our faith might grow and we might mature.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

2 Timothy 1:3-7

2 Timothy 1:3-7 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  What or who do you remember constantly in your prayers?  God puts people into our lives.  Some are sources of joy and celebration, while others are there for us to support.  Often, these roles vary as we wander the path of life together -- the people we held up at one point are often there to hold us up later on.  There are people that are in our lives for us to pray for, and we are often blessed with people who lift us up in prayer.  If your only role in someone's life is to be in prayer for them, do you trust that God can do something with that?  Is that enough?  I remember a monk once saying that his role in the world is to intercede in prayer for others.  It's a fascinating concept that I bounce around in my head from time to time -- should he be doing more?  Or is that enough?  And why don't I just leave that decision up to God?
  May God bless us with the burden of prayer, that our lives may be caught up in something bigger than we are, that we may be used and see how God can utilize our humblest efforts to serve the kingdom.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Revelation 21:1-4

Revelation 21:1-4 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Notice who undertakes all the initiative here -- it's God who brings the new heaven and the new earth.  It's God who has the heavenly city descend from the heavens.  It's God who prepares the city for us, an it's God who wipes away the tears.  God does all of this, well before we figure out how to live perfectly.  God reaches out before we can even think to ask.
  So rest in God's love.  Know that the future does not depend on you and your planning and your perfection.  The future depends on God's gracious love and his initiating grace.  He descends from the heavens and reveals his love to us, and he wipes away our tears by his righteous and tender hand.
  Take a deep breath.  Relax.  Fall into endless grace and unconditional love.  God has done a mighty work to secure your eternal future in the heavenly kingdom.  Your work is merely to receive that boundless love and share the Good News of unconditional love with the world around you.

Monday, February 5, 2018

Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2:1-11
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Last night, a Super Bowl concluded with confetti and a huge trophy, with millions watching the celebration and a supreme happiness for the winning team and their fans.  What's amazing, though, is that this will pass.  In the months and years to come, the happiness associated with the Super Bowl will fade away, and people will yell at the TV in frustration, forgetting the happiness associated with this moment.
  True joy, however, is seated so deeply within us that it does not fade.  The joy we get from being connected to the Father through the working of the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ is so powerful that it does not pass or fade -- it grows stronger with time, for we realize that Christ's love grows and grows as the relationship deepens.  Here, Paul finds joy in others joining him in the same love, humble worshiping the same Savior and selflessly serving others in the community, inviting them in to the body of Christ.
  I don't know what your week holds, but know this -- Christ died so that you might live this week with the joy of heaven deep in your heart, so that you might have the strength to face the world with the eternal peace of God and the confidence that comes in knowing that nothing will separate you from the love of Christ.  We all have the same choice today -- will we join our hearts to the heavenly choir that bows the knee before the Lordship of Jesus Christ?  Today is our chance to practice the song that we will sing forever -- that Christ alone is Lord of all.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Galatians 1:6-10

Galatians 1:6-10
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  Imagine going to the movie theater and seeing the greatest movie ever made.  It's got action, a great love story, and enough suspense and drama to keep you intrigued to the end.  You leave the theater astounded, and for the next week you can't stop thinking and talking about it.  Eventually, your enthusiasm fades, and someone else comes along and tells you about another movie, and you go and see it and your enthusiasm for the first movie starts to fade.  Pretty soon, you think it  doesn't matter and you've forgotten what made the first one so great because you haven't seen it again.
  In Christianity, our enthusiasm often fades.  This is why we go to church continuously -- to gather together and be reminded of how great God is and how amazing his love is.  There are so many competing forces in the world that if we don't, we might turn our attention slowly away and see other things as equal -- pretty soon, we forget how amazing God's love is.  We get caught up in the world and drift, slowly, unintentionally.
  So we gather together each week and celebrate, we pray, we worship and adore.  And we read the Bible and pray and hope and wonder at how amazing God is when we are on our own -- for the Gospel is the most important thing in the world, and Paul is begging the Galatians to remember that, to never forget that this one thing is worthy of pursuing with all of their lives.  May we cling to that same fact and that same love!!

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Hebrews 4:14-16

Hebrews 4:14-16 
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  You've likely seen the many cartoons that involve seeking wisdom from a prophet who lives on a far-off mountain.  The journey is always challenging, ascending steep mountains, only to find the wise prophet living in luxury and ease on their mountain peak.  Here, one might think, we can find the answer to life's biggest questions.
  God could have remained in the heavens, judging us for our inability and lack of desire to live as God's people, failing to honor the one who has made us.  Rather than stay at a cool distance, indifferent to our plight, God entered into the world, took up human flesh and understands exactly what it means to be tempted and struggle with our humanity.  God knows -- he has wept, he has laughed.  God knows what it is like to be human.  God understands whatever you are going through.
  So when we pray to God, we can start with the confidence that God understands.  Knowing this, we can trust God fully, finding his grace in the times of our need, leaning in to the knowledge that God understands our situation and loves us all the same.