What Does It Mean To Be The People of God?

Isaiah 49:1-12
What does it mean to be the people of God? For one thing, it means bearing the news of God’s salvation to the world. As the prophet Isaiah tells us, “Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I have answered you, on a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves’” (Isaiah 49:8-9a). As an aspect of their own salvation, God has given God’s people as a covenant, a sign of God’s abiding presence to all the nations, but more specifically to those who suffer or are oppressed. What an amazing message we carry when we speak of God’s grace. To those who have been disenfranchised we grant a share of the kingdom and restore fairness to the means of self-fulfillment. To those in prison we offer a way out. We encourage those who have remained hidden, who cower under cover of night, to step forward without fear. We do not clutch at God’s blessings as though they were ours alone, we do not turn inward at the exclusion of others. We recognize that the circle of God’s grace moves ever outward encircling all whom God includes.

God has long used God’s people as a blessing to others. Noah and his family were set aside by God as a means of grace for generations to come, reestablishing God’s relationship with humanity. Abraham and Sarah were likewise called to be a source of goodness to the nations. Like our reading from Isaiah today, the message of the prophets can often be summed up as an exhortation to care for the alien and the outcast in our midst. And with the words of the great commission Jesus Christ, too, sends all who would be disciples into the world to meet needs and lift spirits.

There is a poignancy to Isaiah’s words. As a parent I can think of a number of times when I’ve encouraged my children to set aside their fears and to step forward, to trust me to love them and to take care of them. God wants that message conveyed to all people. God wants all nations, all races, all cultures to trust in the divine will, to accept the good news of salvation, and then to care for one another with open hearts and open hands. To be God’s people, then, is not to end a journey, it is to be reoriented along a new path that carries us well beyond ourselves, to a world that God loves and to people for whom God cares deeply.

Prayer: Lord God, in love and grace you have called your people to care for one another and to reach far into the world with your good news. May we find the strength and courage to serve you in all we do, for it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.

Salvation THEN Works

Ephesians 2:1-10
How is one actually saved by God through Jesus Christ? According to the writer of Ephesians, “by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life” (Ephesians 2:8-10). This may seem like a fine distinction but the fact is that the good things that Christians are called to do—justice, righteousness, compassion, hospitality, worship, and praise to name just a few––are not how we earn God’s love, they are how we respond to it. A life lived in faithful obedience is the thank-you note we write to God for the gift of grace that we receive.

But we are to have faith in Jesus Christ, right? That must mean we have to make some sort of decision or commitment to God’s will in order to be in relationship with God. Well, yes and no. As we have just read, faith “is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…,” so yes, we must believe in God through Jesus Christ, but the only way that happens is when God makes it possible.

Does that mean that God is actively keeping some folks from believing? If that is true, it would not be as alien to scripture as one might think. The gospels of John (12:39-40) and Matthew (13:14-15) and the book of Acts (28:25-28) all quote the book of Isaiah which says, “Go and say to this people: ‘Keep listening, but do not comprehend, keep looking, but do not understand.’ Make the mind of this people dull and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed” (6:9-10). Ultimately, though, salvation is God’s decision and God’s alone, and not something we can readily determine about others. Those who do believe, who have received faith as a gift, must assume that a part of the Christian calling is to live and share the good news of Jesus Christ with the hope that others may come to recognize God’s activity in their own lives. But we are not entitled to make assumptions about who God is willing or unwilling to call to faith.

The writer of Ephesians looked at the world, the people who accepted the good news of Jesus Christ and those who did not, looked at Gentiles who believed Jesus to be the Son of God and at Jews who did not, and came to the Spirit-let realization that faith is a far more complex issue that some would suggest. Yet it is never something that can be won or earned or secured through our own works; it is, first and foremost, a grace-filled gift from God, one by which we may be amazed, but one for which we are led to say thank you by doing the will of God.

Prayer: Lord, in you alone rests our hope and salvation and from you alone comes the gift of grace. May all people come to know your love and to respond to your gracious work in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Another Kind of Election

Luke 14:12-24
Jesus told a story about a great dinner to which many had been invited. When the time came, however, the guests made excuses for not attending. “Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room." Then the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner'" (Luke 14:21b-24). The fascinating dynamic at work here is the way the original invitees are excluded while others, many of whom are what we might call “street people,” are “compelled” to attend. It would appear that in some cases being one of God’s elect is not even a choice we could make if we wanted to.

When reading the full passage, note the stark contrast between those who attend the dinner––what we are to understand as the coming reign of God––and those who don’t. Those who had been invited originally have all found other things to do, other objects of devotion. Land, livestock, a family; none of these are bad things in and of themselves. But when they keep us from responding wholeheartedly to God’s claim on our lives they become idols. Those who do attend the banquet have nothing to distract them, no idols, no ideologies, no prejudices. Nothing deters them from hearing and responding to the good news. Nothing stands in the way of their inclusion into God’s household. While some have turned down the generous offer of salvation, others really are given no choice. They are compelled to come.

It is, I think, an understanding of the doctrine of election that deserves our careful attention. Should we allow ourselves to be blinded by our own possessions or our own perspectives we may find ourselves left out, not by God but by our own doing. Meanwhile, God will fill the coming reign with those who are able to appreciate the joy and the grace it offers.

Prayer: Lord, give us the wisdom to receive your gracious offer of salvation and to live toward your coming reign. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Hope-filled Letter of Complaint

Psalm 88

There really is no end to the sorrow and despair of Psalm 88. From the first verse to the last there is only anguish and pain, and that might surprise us that the psalmist would spend an entire Psalm and say almost nothing positive to God. And yet this Psalm does offers hope because, as negative as it sounds, it begins with the words “O Lord, God of my salvation…” (Psalm 88:1).

Imagine a letter you might right to a customer service department to complain about a faulty product. It might begin something like, “Dear Sir or Madam, I wish to call to your attention the problems I have experienced with my new remote-controlled toaster and ask you to help me solve the issues.” There would then follow a list of all the ways that the taster is defective: for example how, when you use the remote feature, not only does it toast bread, but it also opens your garage door and turns on your television, or how the toaster itself keeps blowing the fuse in your kitchen. The letter would be one of complaint, but it would also be one of hope because it is addressed to the people who can do something about the problem, either by fixing the toaster, replacing it, or by giving you your money back.

For the psalmist, God is the one who can do something about the problems of life. God is the Lord, the God of salvation. If there were no hope, if God were unable or unwilling to meet the needs of God’s people, this Psalm would never have been written or sung. But God is able and is willing to come to our aid, and we are free to complain and to moan out loud––if that is how we feel––because God listens. Ours is a God who is big enough and gracious enough to take all of our anger, all of our disappointment, and all of our complaints and go right on loving us and caring for us. Ours is indeed a “God of salvation” to whom we may freely address our darkest concerns, trusting in God’s help.

Prayer: Gracious God, we lift up our deepest fears to you this day, knowing that you hear and respond, because you are our God and we are your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tough to Follow

Matthew 25:1-13

Is it fair to say that Jesus sends mixed messages in the parable of the ten bridesmaids? First we are told that ten bridesmaids went to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1). It just so happens that five of these women were foolish and five of them were wise; the foolish ones took no extra oil while the wise ones did (vv. 2-4). Wise and foolish bridesmaids would seem to be a good analogy, one that Jesus could use to teach his listeners important lessons about faith, but as the story continues the focal point seems to change. First the bridegroom’s arrival is delayed (v. 5a) and then all ten of the bridesmaids fall asleep (v. 5b). Later in the passage Jesus will warn his listeners to “keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” of Jesus’ return (v. 13). The focus now is on staying awake, also a good illustration that Jesus could have used to teach, but even the wise bridesmaids have dozed which confuses the issue significantly. Back in verse 6 though, the bridegroom finally arrives at midnight. But the lamps of the foolish bridesmaids have gone out; they must go to the dealers to buy more oil leaving the wise bridesmaids to accompany the bridegroom to the party (vv. 8-10). When they return the foolish women find that not only is the door to the banquet shut, but the host refuses to let them enter. “Truly I tell you,” he says, “I do not know you” (v. 12). This is a third different aspect of the story having, it would seem, nothing to do with wisdom, folly, staying awake, or sleeping.

So which factor is the most important of this story? That we stay awake spiritually? That we are wise in terms of our faith? That we are prepared for all eventualities? Or that we be recognized by the host of the banquet, who we may safely assume represents Jesus himself? Should we strive to avoid being like the sleeping foolish bridesmaids with no oil who are excluded from the banquet by the host, or to be like the sleeping wise bridesmaids with enough oil who are allowed to enter the banquet? Is that even the point?

It’s all very confusing, and I think that may be the point. I think Jesus may have been tweaking the noses of any who looked for a simple path by which to enter the kingdom of God. What Jesus gave them was a complicated flowchart filled with mixed analogies and divergent illustrations ending with a host who simply decides who gets in and who doesn’t. We can’t do anything that will guarantee salvation, he is saying. You’ve got to trust God. You’ve got to live in faith and know that God wants the banquet hall filled beyond capacity. Some folks may have enough oil, but even they fall asleep. Trust God and focus on the one factor that we so seldom notice in this reading: there’s a party going on, a time of joy and celebration. Why are we worried about lamps and sleep and darkness anyway?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your gracious love in which alone we hope. Amen.

When Silence Is Golden

Psalm 62

Among the readings found in the Daily Lectionary are two Psalms for the morning and two for the evening. Today I was struck by the open verses of Psalm 62.

“For God alone my soul waits in silence;

from him comes my salvation.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;

I shall never be shaken” (Psalm 62:1-2).

There are days when I like some noise in my life. I sometimes listen to music or watch TV even when I am doing something else. But there are other days when what I really need is silence, not so that I “can hear myself think,” as the expression goes, so that I can hear what is happening in my heart and soul, the places where God is so often active. Why listen for God? The psalmist makes it clear: God alone is our source of salvation and protection. On those occasions when we allow outside noise to invade our consciousness we may lose track of God’s presence. We may also find ourselves distracted, wandering after things of no importance at all instead of concentrating on what it is that God offers us or calls us to do. Prayer, too, can be hampered by too much noise, even our incessant jabbering to God. A full and meaningful prayer life requires some time to listen, to meditate, to quit talking and let God have a turn. Psalm 62 is a good way to remember the importance of quiet reflection. In fact, I would suggest adding verses 1 and 2 to any list of memorized scripture. At any time it is appropriate to wait for God, our “rock and salvation” in silence.

Prayer: Lord, silence the noise in our hearts and minds that we may hear you more clearly and follow you more faithfully. Amen.

When Good News Sounds Like Bad News

Ash Wednesday

Jonah 3:1-4:11

As far as prophets go Jonah was hardly the most enthusiastic person God could have sent to Nineveh. Jonah’s unwillingness to carry God’s message is well documented. And it is this unwillingness that casts Jonah’s profession of faith into a strange light.

“O Lord!” he laments, “Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing” (Jonah 4:2). Can it really be true? Is Jonah really complaining about God’s mercy and grace, about God’s abounding love? Yes, he is. What it all boils down to is Jonah’s insistence that God is too nice. Why should he, Jonah, proclaim destruction to the Ninevites if God is just going to forgive them anyway? Instead of rejoicing in God’s love, Jonah resents it and crawls away to pout.

Today marks the beginning of Lent, a season of self-awareness and repentance. Many of us will pause today to worship, perhaps even receiving the imposition of ashes, marking us as sinners in need of God’s redeeming grace. Will we spend the day rejoicing that God offers such forgiveness to those who accept it? Or will we find ourselves resenting the “other folks” who God seems willing to interact with? It’s an honest question for us to consider. Are we willing to let God’s good news be good news? Or will we twist it until it becomes a lament over God’s steadfast love?

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the grace you offer as a blessing to us and to others, and may we be led to share it with all people. Amen.

When I Need a Drink

Isaiah 12:1-6

Water is essential to life. We know that. The development of civilization has often been guided by the presence or the lack of water in a particular region. Even today, as technologically advanced as we are, water continues to be a concern around the globe.

Isaiah does not refute that, but the prophet would like to remind us that salvation is as important to human life as water. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation,” he writes (Isaiah 12:3). This promise stands over and against the plight of God’s people at a time when they were faced with exile and the loss of identity because of their transgressions. They might have the water necessary to live, but would they ever again have what was necessary to restore their life as a faith community? Someday, the prophet assures them, you will have that opportunity once more. And with joy you will find God’s grace as abundant as the water in your wells.

There are days when I forget to drink enough water, and I feel run down, achy even. Once I’ve hydrated, however, I feel much better. There are also days when I feel spiritually drained, when my faith seems run down. Those are the days when I most need the reminder of God’s salvation, when I need to drink most deeply from the resources that guide my faith. Maybe you feel the same way. I don’t use a well for my water, not directly. But in times of doubt I can return to scripture, to prayer, to worship, to my faith community, to those around me who love and support me and with joy find what I need to continue living as a child of God. Isaiah’s promise has been kept. The wells of salvation are all around us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, continue to lead us by still waters and to the wells of salvation that we may drink deeply and find the strength we need to live by your will. Amen.

Small Minded and Up a Tree

Luke 19:1-10
“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he…”

I remember singing that song in Vacation Bible School over the years. It helps us to set the scene in Like 19 where Jesus passes through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. In Jericho there was a tax collector named Zacchaeus who, according to Luke, “was short in stature” (Luke 19:3). So he climbed a tree to get a view of the man called Jesus. Most of us know the rest of the story. Jesus came to the foot of that very tree, called Zacchaeus by name, and went with the tax collector to dinner. When others complained that Jesus was consorting with sinners, Jesus replied that “the Son of man came to seek out and save the lost” (v. 10).

But I want to reflect a bit on Zacchaeus’ small stature. Zacchaeus, though Jewish, was a collaborator with the Romans because he collected taxes for them. This would have given him a small personal stature in the eyes of his neighbors. Maybe Luke is telling us that Jesus had every excuse to “overlook” Zacchaeus, to ignore or avoid him. But Jesus does no such thing. Instead he engages the man in conversation and ultimately conversion.

But setting aside the question of physical height, I know that many times I do “small” things, act in ways that are “small minded.” So do you. We all commit thoughtless or selfish acts that disappoint God. We all fail to live to our potential as God’s people. Frankly, God has every right to “overlook” us, to ignore or avoid us. But in Jesus Christ God does no such thing. Instead God continually engages us in conversation leading us patiently toward the coming kingdom. How many times will I need to be forgiven in my life? I don’t know, but I do know that God is willing to stick with me. Even when my sinfulness has pushed me up a tree. The same is true with you. Because “the Son of Man come to seek out and save the lost.”

Prayer: Lord, I know that I often do that which I should not. Continue to forgive me and to lead me along the path of discipleship. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Economy of Redemption

Joel 1:12-19
Luke 15:1-10
God must not have taken the same Intro to Economics class that I did in college, or maybe I just paid less attention than I thought. Either way God demonstrates a lavishness of forgiveness and salvation that defies human understanding. After spending the opening verses condemning God’s people for their waywardness, the book of Joel suddenly veers in a new direction. “(God) is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abiding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing…” (Joel 2:15). “I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied,” says the Lord (v. 19). If the people will simply return to God they will find all they need provided by God’s hand.

But the lavishness really becomes clear in the gospel account for today. There Jesus tells us of a shepherd who is willing to leave 99 perfectly good sheep to go look for one who is lost (Luke 15:3-7). What a crazy idea! I’ve been told by “real” shepherds that losing 6 or 8% of a flock in a year is not unusual, not with illness, age, predators, and so forth. So who risks 99 sheep to save one? Only God would take that kind of risk, would lavish that kind of salvation.

For many of us in the church this is stewardship season, the time of year when financial pledges are made and budgets are drafted. Perhaps, then, this is a good time to reflect on the lengths to which God is willing to go on our behalf before we determine what our commitment will be to God and the work of the church. Don’t expect God’s side of the ledger to add up, at least not in human terms. But while God is pouring out grain and oil and wine, and while the Good Shepherd is refusing to lose even one sheep out of 100, maybe we should strive to live more in accordance with God’s economics and less with what the world considers appropriate. I’m sure the one sheep would agree.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us our sins and our shortcomings and help us to live lives of generosity. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Compelled Into the Kingdom

Luke 14:12-24
Tucked in among today’s readings about God’s judgment and the fall of great cities is an interesting little comment from Luke. There Jesus tells a parable about someone who gave a dinner. When the time came, however, those whom he had invited declined to attend. So the one giving the dinner sent slaves out to bring in all the people that they could find: “the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame” (Luke 14:21). When this had been done there was still room left in the banquet hall. Then the master said, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house my be filled” (v. 23). Compel them to come in? Really? In all the usual talk about who will be found worthy by God, about who has been elected for salvation, I don’t remember much talk about God forcing people to enter the kingdom. And yet, the ones for whom the banquet was prepared had opted out when it was time. They had made a choice not to come. This left the master in the parable—whom we may assume represents God—to look elsewhere for guests and to gather in even some who had never really thought about coming. Jesus’ story seems to muddle the whole idea of salvation.

And yet Jesus does make this much clear, that election is not just about salvation, it is also about service, about responding at the right time, about being ready for God’s call. The original invitees were distracted by their own interests. None were unable to come because they were working at a soup kitchen or helping a traveler found bleeding in a ditch. There were tending to personal property and to marriage. And the ones who were ultimately admitted were either the blind and lame, or ones who had to be shoved through the door, possibly because they had always been told that they didn’t belong.

I take this passage as a word to the wise. Salvation––a place at the great banquet––is a gift not to be taken lightly because it also is a responsibility. It precludes our self interests and forces us to consider those around us, our fellow guests, and the will of the host. It gives us choices and then urges us to make the right one. It lays claims to our time and talents. Most of all it surprises us because God surprises us.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live as your people, aware of both the gift and the responsibility of salvation, and eager to respond to your call. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Faith v. Faulty Towers

Zephaniah 1:14-18
Luke 13:1-9
The prophet Zephaniah offers this warning to the people of God: “Neither (your) silver nor (your) gold will be able to save (you) on the day of the Lord’s wrath…” (Zephaniah 1:18). It is a familiar idea in scripture, that wealth is no guarantee of salvation, and anything can be turned into an idol. But when set beside today’s reading from Luke Zephaniah’s words, as emphatic as they are, still take on a heightened meaning.

In Luke, Jesus is told about a group of Galileans murdered by Pilot as they offered sacrifices in the temple. “What do you think about this?” Jesus asks his listeners. “Was this God’s judgment on them because they were worse sinners than others? And what about the 18 people killed by a collapsing tower? Were they any worse than others living in Jerusalem at the time?” No, says Jesus, neither they nor the Galileans were worse sinners than anyone else. But unless you repent (literally “turn around” in your living) you can expect to perish just as they did (Luke 13:1-5).

It all has to do with our relationship to God. To invest hope in wealth or comfort, to treat any other aspect of life as though it were a god, is to be separated from the one true God. You might as well have a tower fall on you for all the good it will do. Instead, trust in God, live to God, be focused on God and God’s will. Then falling towers will become nothing to fear. As the apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7-8). Perhaps it is all about perspective. Those who count on their own wealth or abilities in life have no hope. But those who trust in God live in hope and, when the time comes, die in hope as well. And that is something that no amount of money in the world could ever buy.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to live our lives in the hope that you alone can offer, trusting in you and your merciful grace. Amen.

Return to Sender

Acts 26:1-23
Luke 8:26-39
In our reading from Luke this morning Jesus heals a Gerasene man possessed by a number of demons. Near the end of the account Luke tells us, “the man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you’” (Luke 8:38-39). In Acts, Paul tells King Agrippa the story of his Damascus-Road conversion. There the risen Lord said to Paul, “I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light…” (Acts 26:17-18).

Sometimes we concentrate so much on what it means to be “called” by God that we forget that we are also “sent” by God, often in the very same moment. Yes, the disciples were summoned to walk with Jesus during his ministry, and yes, Paul was drawn into the early church as a convert. Likewise, we are called to enter into the community of Christian fellowship. But the disciples were frequently sent throughout the countryside to perform tasks, on Pentecost Sunday they were practically propelled into the streets to proclaim the good news, and Paul found himself traveling the known world sharing the new of Jesus Christ. In the same way we, too, are sent as disciples and followers of Jesus into the world to “declare how much God has done” for us. This is where the doctrine of election can be seen as a two-way street of sorts. God chooses a people and sets them aside. But election is not solely a matter of salvation; it has every bit as much to do with service. To be one of God’s people, to follow Jesus Christ, is to embrace opportunities to share the good news, to bring light to those who face darkness, to live as though the faith has really made a difference in who we are.

The Gerasene demoniac was so utterly changed that others became frightened. Some who heard Paul speak remained angry and unmoved by his words. We can expect similar circumstances. But every so often we will find ourselves ministering to someone who is touched by the Holy Spirit through our words or actions. At moments like this we will have made the transition from those who are called to those who are sent. Each is vitally important. Each is the will of God.

Prayer: God, help us to live faithfully as your people, praising you and seeking your forgiveness, but also reaching out to others that they may know the good news of the gospel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.