Careful What You Believe

Isaiah 44:24-45:7
God has strong words by way of the prophet Isaiah for those who would claim to speak from insight they don’t actually have. Even those who are perceived as wise will be thwarted in their views. “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,” we read, “who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord… who frustrates the omens of liars, and makes fools of diviners; who turns back the wise, and makes their knowledge foolish…” (Isaiah 44:24a, 25).

In the modern world, the internet provides a steady stream of dubious claims and questionable statements. (I say this knowing full well that what I write and post online may, to some, seem like “dubious” and “questionable” material!) But even before the dawn of email and text messaging, rumors and half-truths found their way into everyday discourse. Indeed, this is a part of the problem that Isaiah was addressing because many people who were content to put their faith, their confidence in what the world said was factual. God’s response is to go right to the source, to “frustrate” those who offer lies and foolishness, and to “turn back” even that which seems intelligent to our ears. There is only one source of truth, the God from whom alone wisdom arises and in whom alone we must put our trust.

To live a life of faithful obedience we must set aside the falsehoods of the world and instead prayerfully seek for guidance in the word of God, all the while being attentive to what the Holy Spirit shows us to be correct.

Prayer: Lord, may we come to know your truth and to cast aside the falsehoods and lies of those who would deceive. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Living In Between

Zechariah 13:1-9
Two verses from today’s Old Testament reading caught my attention. “On that day the prophets will be ashamed, every one, of their visions when they prophesy; they will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive, but each of them will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil; for the land has been my possession since my youth’” (Zechariah 13:4-5). “I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil…” How similar these words are to those of the prophet Amos. “Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel”’” (Amos 7:14-15).

In the first case –– in Zechariah –– we are told that in shame false prophets will turn from their deceptive ways and will deny that they were ever engaged in such work. In the second case, however, –– that of Amos –– one who has come to be recognized as a legitimate prophetic voice rejects the title. Oddly, both Amos and the false prophets of Zechariah ultimately point to agriculture as their true occupation. For Amos, this probably meant that he was not a member of the guild of prophets, that he was a true outsider who was doing what God had called him to do. It was a task he could not avoid yet one he accepted reluctantly. The false prophets, however, would be running away from a deceptive past in which they had spoken, not God’s word, but their own, for they had not received a call from the Lord but lived as though they had.

As one who feels called to preach and to serve the church in a particular way, I take each of these stories to heart. On the one hand I know the danger of sharing a “false gospel” based not on the gospel but on what others want to hear. I also wrestle frequently with the heavy expectations that fall on ministers to function with integrity and honesty. Though I am hardly a farmer, there are days when I would welcome the chance to run away and lose myself in a different line of work. At those times I am comforted by Amos’ words and the fact that someone else has come this way before. On other days I find myself swelled by pride and making assumptions that are clearly not correct. Those are the days when I hear the words of Zechariah as a warning against complacency.

No life of faith is easy, no attempt to serve God is without challenges. We all struggle and we all fail from time to time. But somewhere between the false words of pride and self-centeredness and the true words of God’s judgment and grace we find a path to walk that leads us forward in hope. That is the journey we must seek.

Prayer: Almighty God, by your grace may our words be true and our faith be sustained all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

When Faith Trumps Fact

Luke 8:40-56
Those who mourned the death of Jairus’s daughter openly ridiculed Jesus when he came to heal the girl. “And they laughed at him,” Luke tells us, “knowing that she was dead” (Luke 8:53). But Jesus did heal the girl, and in doing so he demonstrated that even when we are faced by that which is factual, faith allows us to move beyond, to a deeper level of truth, one that opens up possibilities we might otherwise not consider. It’s hard to fault those who had come offering comfort to Jairus and his wife. The crowd had no reason to expect the girl to recover. Jesus’ assertion that she was only sleeping sounded foolish at best. So they laughed. Considering that up until then they had been “weeping and wailing for her” (v. 52) this was quite a turnaround. What they did not appreciate was the power of God to transform mere fact into a greater truth. A little girl who is dead according to human standards may, by the will of God, rise up and live.

Are there situations in our lives where, based on “the facts,” we make certain assumptions only to find that God still has something new to reveal? Are there those who we dismiss as worthless, of redeeming value, unworthy of our consideration who, by God’s grace, can be raised to a new lives of purpose? Are there circumstances where all the data tells us to walk away, to cut our losses, to move along but where God still has a word to speak? Too often the answer is yes, we have accepted “facts” where God was offering “truth.” But new days bring new challenges and new opportunities. By learning to trust God to be at work in our lives we will find ourselves living in ways we did not imagine possible, sometimes in the face of “facts” that might have led others to write us off.

Even when we “know” something to be factual there is still room for God to work, and at those moments may our laughter be caused by joy and not by derision.

Prayer: Lord, give us faith to see all that you are doing in our world and in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

On Not Understanding What You Understand

John 9:18-41

According to John’s gospel, Jesus’ words drew an interesting response from some of the religious leaders. “Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’” (John 9:39-40). These unnamed religious folks get the point that Jesus is making, but not really. They recognize what he is saying and that he is saying it about them. But they don’t believe it and they certainly aren’t willing to accept it as true.

What was Jesus saying about the Pharisees? He was holding them up to judgment, he was pointing out that while they had every opportunity to grasp the will of God and to follow it they had instead turned in another direction, one of their own choosing. Now, even though their eyes were open and their minds were free to function, they had become hostile to the truth of Jesus’ message. “Surely we are not blind, are we?” they asked him. So these leaders recognized the claim that Jesus was making, but they were unwilling to accept him and the good news he offered. They understood, they just didn’t get it.

I wonder how much I understand but don’t “get,” how much I believe about God but am unwilling to put into practice. I’m a minister, I study scripture, and I am charged with certain religious responsibilities, all of which sets me very close to the position that the Pharisees held in their day. Do I hear the words of Jesus and then go on about my business, following a path of my own creation? Am I vulnerable to judgment for my spiritual blindness or hardness of heart? I certainly hope not, but all of us must remain prayerfully attentive to what Jesus is saying, must open our hearts and our minds with humility, so that we do not miss the true message of the gospel. We must also resist the temptation to assert our own perspective as the only valid one, for it is at that very moment that we become most prone to misunderstanding.

Live today with hearts and minds open to God. Live today with the confidence that in turning to Jesus Christ you may be guided along God’s way and not down a path of your own choosing where blindness will lead you to stumble and fall.

Prayer: Loving God, grant us the humility we need to live as your people and to follow your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Storms of Untruth

Ephesians 4:1-16

Most of us have been misled at one time or another, told something that was not true as though it were fact. When such falsehoods begin to cascade from person to person they can become difficult to stop. The development of the internet has only made this phenomenon more potent, but rumors have long been a part of our culture. (For an example of how one sort of rumor—celebrity deaths–has played out in the past you can visit this site:

http://theweek.com/article/slide/217373/10-celebrity-death-rumors-a-visual-history#)

The writer of Ephesians was aware of the problem, too, and warned his readers not to be affected by everything they heard. “We must no longer be children,” he wrote, “tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:9). It is the phrase “every wind of doctrine” that offers the most powerful image for me. It refers to fads or crazes, any pseudo-religion that gets passed from person to person. The swell of such falsehood can take the shape of a raging storm blowing in all directions and dislodging even the most deeply held convictions. The immature in faith are the most susceptible to such storms and indeed can be “tossed to and fro and blown about.”

To withstand the gale we must become mature in faith by turning our attention to Jesus Christ. In him we find the strength, the courage, and the resolve to remain steadfast. In him we find the community that is his body and the love that binds believers together. The storms will continue to rage around us and untruths will swirl on all sides, but if we cling to Jesus Christ and the power of the gospel we will find the shelter we need.

Prayer: Lord, deliver us from the deceit that lies so close at hand and help us to live with maturity and courage, focused solely on Jesus Christ in whose name we pray. Amen.

No Lie

1 John 2:18-29

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. How many times have you heard that expression? It is the responsibility of citizens to know what is expected of them and to live up to those expectations. Just to say you weren’t aware a certain prohibition existed does not absolve you from guilt any more than saying, “I didn’t know,” necessarily saves a child from getting into trouble. We should make it our business to learn what rules apply to our day to day lives.

In a manner of speaking, ignorance of the gospel is no excuse either. Take today’s reading from 1 John for example. “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth” (1 John 2:21). There is no way that the readers of this letter can claim ignorance. They are aware of the circumstances they face, of the importance of the hour. Events are afoot that could cause turmoil for the Christian community. John’s readers should reflect on what they have already come to know and allow that knowledge to guide them in difficult times. “You know what I’m talking about,” John is saying, “and you cannot allow yourselves to be swayed by something other than this truth.”

We should take note of John’s exhortation ourselves. As we seek to live in faith we should be guided by what we know to be true and how that truth allows for no falsehood. This doesn’t make a life of faith any easier, but it does underscore the need for careful attention. As situations arise our responses should come from what we know to be true, primarily that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to live the truth of your love in all that we do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Can We Handle the Truth?

Note: This was actually the post from Thursday, May 12 that seems to have disappeared in the recent Blogger glitch. I'm reposting it for today and will resume posting on Monday, May 16. Thanks for your support and your readership. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to share God's word with people from over 65 countries around the world. As always, feel free to comment on any post.

1 John 5:13-20 (21)

There is a climactic moment in the film “A Few Good Men” when the character played by Jack Nicholson nearly screams at the one played by Tom Cruise, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” That’s one of my favorite moments in all of film. Our reading from 1 John is not filled with screaming, but it is a profound declaration of what it means to be God’s people. “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true” (1 John 5:20a).

Of course the one “who is true” is God and it is in the ministry of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit that we are given the opportunity to recognize that truth and what it means for us. We cannot fully understand it, cannot grasp it completely, but we can move in the right direction and can allow it to affect who we are. This is not for the weak of spirit. For once we have gazed into the truth, into who God is, we will know things about ourselves that we probably would rather not know. This is a part of the balance that we find in God, the tension between judgment and grace. Part of God’s truth is bound up in condemning us for our failures, holding us accountable for where we have gone astray. But a part of God’s truth is also to be found in the forgiveness we receive from the very same God in whose Son we find our hope.

Can we handle this truth? That’s a good question. There may be times when we must look away lest we become overwhelmed by God’s majesty. But at other times I believe we are able to see and feel the truth like the hug of a loved one or the stirring of compassion deep in the heart, leading us to share what we have encountered. So yes, I believe we can handle it, indeed are called to stand before it and to carry it with us and to be motivated by it. God’s truth is that which endures, and when we wrestle with it we are blessed by the endeavor.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see and to know your truth and to live according to your will. Amen.