Jim:
Psalm 84
Ever since I wrote the play “Sanctuary” based on this Psalm I have counted it among my favorites. It speaks in rich and varied metaphors about the salvation that God offers, all centered around the “sanctuary” that God offers. The fact that God’s grace is poured out, even in the face of human sin, is a theme that echoes throughout the other readings for today.
Isaiah 24:14-23
This passage deals honestly with the dichotomy between the glory of God––so potent that it practically bursts forth into creation and elicits songs of praise that ring out across the sky––and the evil and sinfulness of humanity that seem to flow unabated. Verse 16 captures this tension I think: “From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, I pine away, I pine away. Woe is me! For the treacherous deal treacherously, the treacherous deal very treacherously.” God remains sovereign, however, and neither the host of heaven nor the sun and the moon will not be immune to God’s judgment when the time arrives.
1 Peter 3:13-4:6
The way God chose to deal with the dichotomy between God’s glory and the sinfulness of humanity was through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As 1 Peter 3:18 says, “…Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” In other words, God acted to close the gap (or bridge the chasm) between God’s self and humanity, God’s sovereignty made manifest in the humiliating death that Jesus suffered, but God’s glory revealed in the light of Easter morning.
Matthew 20:17-28
Jesus foretells his suffering in the gospel reading. Verse 18 says, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death….” The fact that the religious community is counted among those who will condemn Jesus underscores the depth of human depravity that Jesus will ultimately address with his death. Still, God acts out of grace and mercy to save the lost and to offer hope to those who are languishing.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Will of God
Jim:
Zephaniah 3:1-13
Verse 9 is fascinating: “At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one voice.” This is fascinating because according to Genesis it was God who confused human speech in the first place to keep them from building the tower of Babel. Now God is promising to grant a pure form of speech to the peoples so that they may praise and worship God. With a unity of purpose that is focused on God and God’s will, there is no reason to separate peoples one from another. Incidentally, the first Pentecost (Acts 2) comes to mind when I think of this passage and the idea of a pure form of speech. The apostles went into the world speaking in every known language and calling all to repent and believe in God. It was not a common language they spoke, but a pure one in that it pointed to God.
1 Peter 2:11-25
I focused on verse 24 this morning: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” This paraphrase of portions of Isaiah 53 helps to set the ministry of Jesus, his death and resurrection, into the context of salvation history and makes its relevance to the community of faith very clear. Our sins died with Jesus on the cross. We are free. We may now concentrate on living to God and God’s will.
Matthew 20:1-16
Verse 15 says, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” Thought it is the owner of the vineyard in Jesus’ parable who is speaking, the words belong to God. God, as Creator of the universe and as Sovereign Lord, is free to do as God wills. In this case, Jesus asserts God’s right to bring salvation to whomsoever God chooses, whether they have lived a righteous life as long as some others or not. Incidentally, there are some real similarities between this passage in Matthew and Luke’s account of the parable of the Prodigal Son where the father reminds the older brother that he (the brother) has enjoyed the benefits of his relationship with the father all along and should not begrudge his father’s joy at the return of the wayward son.
Zephaniah 3:1-13
Verse 9 is fascinating: “At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one voice.” This is fascinating because according to Genesis it was God who confused human speech in the first place to keep them from building the tower of Babel. Now God is promising to grant a pure form of speech to the peoples so that they may praise and worship God. With a unity of purpose that is focused on God and God’s will, there is no reason to separate peoples one from another. Incidentally, the first Pentecost (Acts 2) comes to mind when I think of this passage and the idea of a pure form of speech. The apostles went into the world speaking in every known language and calling all to repent and believe in God. It was not a common language they spoke, but a pure one in that it pointed to God.
1 Peter 2:11-25
I focused on verse 24 this morning: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” This paraphrase of portions of Isaiah 53 helps to set the ministry of Jesus, his death and resurrection, into the context of salvation history and makes its relevance to the community of faith very clear. Our sins died with Jesus on the cross. We are free. We may now concentrate on living to God and God’s will.
Matthew 20:1-16
Verse 15 says, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” Thought it is the owner of the vineyard in Jesus’ parable who is speaking, the words belong to God. God, as Creator of the universe and as Sovereign Lord, is free to do as God wills. In this case, Jesus asserts God’s right to bring salvation to whomsoever God chooses, whether they have lived a righteous life as long as some others or not. Incidentally, there are some real similarities between this passage in Matthew and Luke’s account of the parable of the Prodigal Son where the father reminds the older brother that he (the brother) has enjoyed the benefits of his relationship with the father all along and should not begrudge his father’s joy at the return of the wayward son.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
A New People
Jim:
1 Peter 2:1-10
This passage is one of the most meaningful in all of the New Testament to me, and it has been for many years. I find great hope and confidence here, beautiful images of what it means to be a Christian and to be called by God. If I had to single out one verse, however, it would be verse 10: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” At one of the youth conferences I attended as a high school student the keynote speaker quoted this passage as a source of strength and confidence for Christians. It made an impression on me then and has stuck with me to this day. No matter where we have been in our lives, no matter how far from God’s will we may have strayed, God still calls us back, still claims us, still has mercy on us and as a result we are blessed to be called the people of God. What great news!
Matthew 19:23-30
Verse 30 sums up the new ordering of things in the coming reign of God and ties in well with the reading from 1 Peter: “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Those who have ultimate faith in themselves and who believe they can provide for themselves to the exclusion of God will find that they are farthest from the truth, while those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, losing themselves in their devotion to Jesus, will find that they are nearest to the truth. They will recognize that it is not they, but God who has brought them back from sin and waywardness and claimed them to be God’s people.
1 Peter 2:1-10
This passage is one of the most meaningful in all of the New Testament to me, and it has been for many years. I find great hope and confidence here, beautiful images of what it means to be a Christian and to be called by God. If I had to single out one verse, however, it would be verse 10: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” At one of the youth conferences I attended as a high school student the keynote speaker quoted this passage as a source of strength and confidence for Christians. It made an impression on me then and has stuck with me to this day. No matter where we have been in our lives, no matter how far from God’s will we may have strayed, God still calls us back, still claims us, still has mercy on us and as a result we are blessed to be called the people of God. What great news!
Matthew 19:23-30
Verse 30 sums up the new ordering of things in the coming reign of God and ties in well with the reading from 1 Peter: “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Those who have ultimate faith in themselves and who believe they can provide for themselves to the exclusion of God will find that they are farthest from the truth, while those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, losing themselves in their devotion to Jesus, will find that they are nearest to the truth. They will recognize that it is not they, but God who has brought them back from sin and waywardness and claimed them to be God’s people.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Working With God
Jim:
Nahum 1:1-13
Verse 9 asks, “Why do you plot against the Lord? He will make an end; no adversary will rise up twice.” This reminds me of the saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” But the truth is that the sovereign God puts an end to human sin and evil, puts an end to oppression, puts an end to corruption, on God’s terms and in God’s time. Nahum can confidently say words to the effect of, “Don’t bother ignoring the will of God. You may think you are getting away with something, but you’re not.”
1 Peter 1:13-25
In years past I underlined verse 13 in my Bible: “Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.” Hoping in God through Jesus Christ is a gift given by God. But once we have that gift, once we have the faith to believe and live according to God’s will, we are called to do so. And that requires discipline and hard work. It requires study. It requires participation in the community of faith.
Matthew 19:13-22
Verses 13 through 15 offer Matthew’s take on a familiar story. “Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.” I find the last few words to be the most interesting. After blessing the children Jesus moved on, continued in his ministry in other places. Jesus could have been very comfortable blessing children and healing the sick for the rest of his natural life. But it was essential that he keep moving, even though (or especially because) he was moving on toward Jerusalem and the crucifixion. Jesus had great affection for the least members of society, and he knew that the best thing he could do for them, for the women, children, lepers, and so forth, was to obey the will of God.
Nahum 1:1-13
Verse 9 asks, “Why do you plot against the Lord? He will make an end; no adversary will rise up twice.” This reminds me of the saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” But the truth is that the sovereign God puts an end to human sin and evil, puts an end to oppression, puts an end to corruption, on God’s terms and in God’s time. Nahum can confidently say words to the effect of, “Don’t bother ignoring the will of God. You may think you are getting away with something, but you’re not.”
1 Peter 1:13-25
In years past I underlined verse 13 in my Bible: “Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.” Hoping in God through Jesus Christ is a gift given by God. But once we have that gift, once we have the faith to believe and live according to God’s will, we are called to do so. And that requires discipline and hard work. It requires study. It requires participation in the community of faith.
Matthew 19:13-22
Verses 13 through 15 offer Matthew’s take on a familiar story. “Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.” I find the last few words to be the most interesting. After blessing the children Jesus moved on, continued in his ministry in other places. Jesus could have been very comfortable blessing children and healing the sick for the rest of his natural life. But it was essential that he keep moving, even though (or especially because) he was moving on toward Jerusalem and the crucifixion. Jesus had great affection for the least members of society, and he knew that the best thing he could do for them, for the women, children, lepers, and so forth, was to obey the will of God.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Plowshares, Divorce, and Jesus
Jim:
Joel 3:1-2, 9-17
Verse 10 is completely opposite from passages found in Isaiah and Micah: “Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears.” At first glance this may seem bothersome, as though it were a repudiation of peace on the part of God. But this call to arms is addressed to the nations who have oppressed God’s people and who must now face the day of the Lord and God’s judgment. God will restore God’s people and then peace and security will prevail.
1 Peter 1:1-12
In verse 8 we read, “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” I like the idea of not seeing Jesus, and yet loving and believing in him nonetheless. In fact, this notion binds us together with the very earliest Christians who had not known Jesus. None of us have known him in his earthly ministry, but we love him and worship him and follow him because God has called us into this relationship and given us the power to believe. We stand in a line that stretches back to the very beginning of the church and includes generation after generation of people who have never seen Jesus but who have found an “indescribable joy” in him anyway.
Matthew 19:1-12
I found parts of verses 5 and 6 to be familiar and helpful. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Nehemiah, on his return to Jerusalem, compelled Jewish men to send away their foreign-born wives and children. (This was a reaction to the worship practices and other traditions that these foreign women had introduced into the community, causing syncretism where Nehemiah and others sought purity.) Jesus, I believe, would have taken a different approach. According to Jesus the covenantal relationship between a woman and a man is sacred and very, very important, reflecting the relationship we have with God. Jesus is not saying divorce can never be an option, but he is saying that we should take marriage very, very seriously as a blessing from God. And he would oppose divorce when it is imposed on a woman who is then left with no support or livelihood.
Joel 3:1-2, 9-17
Verse 10 is completely opposite from passages found in Isaiah and Micah: “Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears.” At first glance this may seem bothersome, as though it were a repudiation of peace on the part of God. But this call to arms is addressed to the nations who have oppressed God’s people and who must now face the day of the Lord and God’s judgment. God will restore God’s people and then peace and security will prevail.
1 Peter 1:1-12
In verse 8 we read, “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” I like the idea of not seeing Jesus, and yet loving and believing in him nonetheless. In fact, this notion binds us together with the very earliest Christians who had not known Jesus. None of us have known him in his earthly ministry, but we love him and worship him and follow him because God has called us into this relationship and given us the power to believe. We stand in a line that stretches back to the very beginning of the church and includes generation after generation of people who have never seen Jesus but who have found an “indescribable joy” in him anyway.
Matthew 19:1-12
I found parts of verses 5 and 6 to be familiar and helpful. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Nehemiah, on his return to Jerusalem, compelled Jewish men to send away their foreign-born wives and children. (This was a reaction to the worship practices and other traditions that these foreign women had introduced into the community, causing syncretism where Nehemiah and others sought purity.) Jesus, I believe, would have taken a different approach. According to Jesus the covenantal relationship between a woman and a man is sacred and very, very important, reflecting the relationship we have with God. Jesus is not saying divorce can never be an option, but he is saying that we should take marriage very, very seriously as a blessing from God. And he would oppose divorce when it is imposed on a woman who is then left with no support or livelihood.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The Perfect City
Jim:
Ezra 10:1-17
Revelation 21:9-21
Revelation 21:15-16 say, “The angel who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he measure the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.” According to the footnotes in the Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV), “the city is represented as being a cube, symbol of perfection…” Now I would find life in a gigantic cube (made of gold and jewels, no less) to be less than perfect, but that’s not really the point. The city’s perfection comes not in its appearance, but in what it represents. Whatever the city looks like, whatever shape it takes, in its nature it is what God intends life to be. The perfection comes in its ordering toward God. This is why the reading from Revelation stands in such contrast to that from Ezra where the returning exiles are compelled to divorce their foreign-born wives in order to no longer offend God. Frankly this notion offends me. The thought that God would desire broken families, fatherless children, women and children unable to support themselves over mixed marriages, or that by simply ridding the land of foreign-born women would somehow make it more acceptable to God is utterly absurd. It is shameful that these events ever took place. To me the contrast couldn’t be more stark. Perfection will not come with good city planning or tight marriage restrictions, will not be derived from precious stones used as paving. Perfection will come when all of life is focused on God and on what God desires from us and for us. And it will have nothing to do with geometrically shaped metropolitan areas or divorces compelled by religious statute.
Ezra 10:1-17
Revelation 21:9-21
Revelation 21:15-16 say, “The angel who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he measure the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.” According to the footnotes in the Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV), “the city is represented as being a cube, symbol of perfection…” Now I would find life in a gigantic cube (made of gold and jewels, no less) to be less than perfect, but that’s not really the point. The city’s perfection comes not in its appearance, but in what it represents. Whatever the city looks like, whatever shape it takes, in its nature it is what God intends life to be. The perfection comes in its ordering toward God. This is why the reading from Revelation stands in such contrast to that from Ezra where the returning exiles are compelled to divorce their foreign-born wives in order to no longer offend God. Frankly this notion offends me. The thought that God would desire broken families, fatherless children, women and children unable to support themselves over mixed marriages, or that by simply ridding the land of foreign-born women would somehow make it more acceptable to God is utterly absurd. It is shameful that these events ever took place. To me the contrast couldn’t be more stark. Perfection will not come with good city planning or tight marriage restrictions, will not be derived from precious stones used as paving. Perfection will come when all of life is focused on God and on what God desires from us and for us. And it will have nothing to do with geometrically shaped metropolitan areas or divorces compelled by religious statute.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The Authority of Christ
Jim:
Revelation 21:1-8
Verse 5 includes words spoken by Christ to John on Patmos, “See, I am making all things new.” To me this echoes what we read in John’s gospel about the role of the Word of God in creation. “In the beginning was the Word…All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being….” Just as Christ was present and active in the original creation, the role will be reprised, if you will, in making all things new in the second creation.
Matthew 17:14-21
Verse 18 reads, “And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly.” Just as Christ is active in bringing a new creation into being, Jesus, in his earthy ministry, demonstrates has power and authority over creation. Jesus was able to heal illnesses, to cast out demons, to calm seas, and to feed thousands. As we approach Christ the King Sunday it is helpful to reflect on what Christ’s kingship means for us and for the world. It is no earthly reign, but one of authority over the very stuff of creation and the elements that make it up. It is authority over every aspect of our lives. It is authority to make all things new.
Revelation 21:1-8
Verse 5 includes words spoken by Christ to John on Patmos, “See, I am making all things new.” To me this echoes what we read in John’s gospel about the role of the Word of God in creation. “In the beginning was the Word…All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being….” Just as Christ was present and active in the original creation, the role will be reprised, if you will, in making all things new in the second creation.
Matthew 17:14-21
Verse 18 reads, “And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly.” Just as Christ is active in bringing a new creation into being, Jesus, in his earthy ministry, demonstrates has power and authority over creation. Jesus was able to heal illnesses, to cast out demons, to calm seas, and to feed thousands. As we approach Christ the King Sunday it is helpful to reflect on what Christ’s kingship means for us and for the world. It is no earthly reign, but one of authority over the very stuff of creation and the elements that make it up. It is authority over every aspect of our lives. It is authority to make all things new.
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