Jim:
Jeremiah 31:1-14
Here I focused on the latter part of verse 3: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." God's commitment to us is staggering in its depth. Human love can be effected by so many elements and can wax and wane over the years. And even those relationships that last and are loving are effected by the sinfulness of the people involved. But God's love for God's people is an "everlasting love," and while God is quite capable of responding to our quirky behavior, God's love, and therefore God's faithful activity in our midst, remains steadfast. It is the one thing we can count on, regardless of all else.
Colossians 2:8-22
Verse 12 is a powerful reminder of what baptism is all about. "…When you were buried with (Christ) in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith…" Baptism is more than a quaint custom or cultural phenomenon; it is a profound and significant action in which we lay claim to the grace of God which is present in our lives. It is as profound and significant as the death of Jesus Christ with which it connects us. To be "buried" in the water (or for most Presbyterians to be sprinkled with the water) is to share in the death that Christ experienced, from which we will then also share in his resurrection. Sin and death have been defeated.
Luke 6:39-49
This reading contains the very important reminder to remove the log from our own eyes before we try to remove a speck from someone else's. In our contemporary society this idea seems to have been all but forgotten in the rush to judgement that to takes place every day. Slowing down and being more patient with those around us would be a good place to start. And acknowledging our own sinfulness and need for forgiveness would help as well. Ultimately, "removing specks" should be an act of compassion, of service, of caring that we offer to others and not an act of judgment.
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