Jim:
Amos 5:18-27
Among the most familiar words of the prophet Amos are those found in verses 21 and 24. “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies…But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” A right relationship with God can not be purchased or finagled for; it grows, it develops, it flourishes when we do God’s will and care for those around us. Put another way, God wants us to do what is right, and when we do, we become vessels of praise for God. Rolling waters and ever-flowing streams are apt images in this case, because water is necessary for growth and development. Life indeed flourishes when there is ample moisture, and the good life that God intends flourishes when justice and righteousness are present in abundance.
Jude 17-25
Jude points to growth and life, too, in verse 20: “But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith…” When faith enables us to be built up, to take shape as God’s people, as God intends us, then there is growth, not only for us but for those around us. I don’t imagine that this exhortation is addressed to a collection of individuals, but rather to a community of believers who are challenged to build (and be built) together in a cooperative, connectional faith. What does this faith look like? The words from Amos would be a good start. Justice and righteousness rolling and ever-flowing can build a positive community and promote life. And when we concentrate on the power of justice and righteousness we are made more alive to God as well as to each other.
Matthew 22:15-22
I think this experience from the ministry of Jesus also ties in nicely to the passage from Amos. The Pharisees and Herodians who try to trap Jesus are focused on the practice of a shallow piety, the sort of actions that compare to empty festivals or meaningless assemblies. Jesus calls God’s people to a higher level. Set your heart on God, he is saying, and show love and respect for one another. Give to God what belongs to God: your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The rest will take care of itself.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Making Choices
Jim:
Amos 5:1-17
Verse 15 lays out a choice for the people of God: “Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” Elsewhere Amos has encourages the people to “seek (God) and live” (v. 4) and “seek good and not evil, that you may live.” (v. 14) Life is full of choices, and those choices have consequences for us and for others. The People of God are no different. The choice God offers is one of right relationship based on goodness and justice. To live this way as individuals and as a community is to provide the environment though which God’s grace and mercy may abound, though which we may become partners in God’s activity to God’s glory.
Jude 1-16
Jude also talks about choices that are made and about those who choose poorly. Verse 16 lays out some of the attributes of those who stand in opposition to God’s will. “These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to their own advantage.” To live in such a way is to cause harm to the community of faith and to invite the judgment of God. We all make mistakes. We all make poor choices from time to time. Perhaps we will grumble, or look for our own advantage in a situation. Maybe we will too easily find fault with others or will refuse to see the good all around us. This is the nature of sin. But God invites us to strive toward good choices, to aspire to more godly living, that we and those around us may be blessed.
Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus, too, presents a parable about choice. I believe that is the issue with the wedding guest described in verses 11 and 12. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who as not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.” The man who is not dressed appropriately has not lived his life in such a way as to be prepared for God’s coming. Instead of being clothed in acts of goodness and mercy, he has chosen sinful disregard to God’s will. As such he has no defense when he is challenged by the king. He has not strived to participate in God’s work, not aspired to be a party to the graciousness that God offers. He is not in step with the coming kingdom or the wedding feast. What choices do we make? How are we living our lives? Are we dressed appropriately for God’s kingdom?
Amos 5:1-17
Verse 15 lays out a choice for the people of God: “Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” Elsewhere Amos has encourages the people to “seek (God) and live” (v. 4) and “seek good and not evil, that you may live.” (v. 14) Life is full of choices, and those choices have consequences for us and for others. The People of God are no different. The choice God offers is one of right relationship based on goodness and justice. To live this way as individuals and as a community is to provide the environment though which God’s grace and mercy may abound, though which we may become partners in God’s activity to God’s glory.
Jude 1-16
Jude also talks about choices that are made and about those who choose poorly. Verse 16 lays out some of the attributes of those who stand in opposition to God’s will. “These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to their own advantage.” To live in such a way is to cause harm to the community of faith and to invite the judgment of God. We all make mistakes. We all make poor choices from time to time. Perhaps we will grumble, or look for our own advantage in a situation. Maybe we will too easily find fault with others or will refuse to see the good all around us. This is the nature of sin. But God invites us to strive toward good choices, to aspire to more godly living, that we and those around us may be blessed.
Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus, too, presents a parable about choice. I believe that is the issue with the wedding guest described in verses 11 and 12. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who as not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.” The man who is not dressed appropriately has not lived his life in such a way as to be prepared for God’s coming. Instead of being clothed in acts of goodness and mercy, he has chosen sinful disregard to God’s will. As such he has no defense when he is challenged by the king. He has not strived to participate in God’s work, not aspired to be a party to the graciousness that God offers. He is not in step with the coming kingdom or the wedding feast. What choices do we make? How are we living our lives? Are we dressed appropriately for God’s kingdom?
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Glory Be to God!
Amos 4:6-13
Verse 13 says, “For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind, reveals his thoughts to mortals, makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!” This is a doxology, a description of the glory of God as displayed in some of God’s mighty acts. That it comes at the end of a very harsh assessment of Israel’s relationship with God serves to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the people. God’s will is the standard by which humanity is measured. Yet in the face of waywardness and injustice, God remains a source of light and life, the voice of truth, the God of hosts.
2 Peter 3:11-18
I am personally challenged by the words of verses 14 and 15. “Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by (God) at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.” The same God to whom Amos offers glory is the God of our salvation, which is born of divine patience with our misdeeds. The challenge for me is to constantly strive to be at peace, which I take to mean in right relationship with God and with my neighbors. I know I will not be found “without spot or blemish” in this regard, but with God’s help I am to aspire to goodness. Even when I am angry or frustrated or disheartened or tired or ready to chunk it all, God calls for my best efforts to God’s glory, and that is certainly not easy for me to do. But with God’s help I will try again, and though I fail a thousand times, I will try a thousand and one.
Matthew 21:33-46
At first glance the words of verse 41 seem a little out of kilter. The wicked tenants have just killed the son and heir of the vineyard. What will the vineyard owner do when he comes? “They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time?’” My question is, if his son has just been killed, is the owner of the vineyard really worried about whether the next tenants will give him produce or not? But remember that the vineyard owner represents God and, as verse 43 reminds us, the fruit of the vineyard is really “the fruits of the kingdom.” God is worried about the produce of the vineyard, because it represents a right relationship with God. Those who produce the fruits of the kingdom will care for one another and for the stranger in their midst. They will provide for the widow and orphan, will care for the last and least. They will strive to be found at peace, as 2 Peter encourages us to be, and will give praise to God with lives of righteousness as Amos calls for.
Verse 13 says, “For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind, reveals his thoughts to mortals, makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!” This is a doxology, a description of the glory of God as displayed in some of God’s mighty acts. That it comes at the end of a very harsh assessment of Israel’s relationship with God serves to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the people. God’s will is the standard by which humanity is measured. Yet in the face of waywardness and injustice, God remains a source of light and life, the voice of truth, the God of hosts.
2 Peter 3:11-18
I am personally challenged by the words of verses 14 and 15. “Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by (God) at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.” The same God to whom Amos offers glory is the God of our salvation, which is born of divine patience with our misdeeds. The challenge for me is to constantly strive to be at peace, which I take to mean in right relationship with God and with my neighbors. I know I will not be found “without spot or blemish” in this regard, but with God’s help I am to aspire to goodness. Even when I am angry or frustrated or disheartened or tired or ready to chunk it all, God calls for my best efforts to God’s glory, and that is certainly not easy for me to do. But with God’s help I will try again, and though I fail a thousand times, I will try a thousand and one.
Matthew 21:33-46
At first glance the words of verse 41 seem a little out of kilter. The wicked tenants have just killed the son and heir of the vineyard. What will the vineyard owner do when he comes? “They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time?’” My question is, if his son has just been killed, is the owner of the vineyard really worried about whether the next tenants will give him produce or not? But remember that the vineyard owner represents God and, as verse 43 reminds us, the fruit of the vineyard is really “the fruits of the kingdom.” God is worried about the produce of the vineyard, because it represents a right relationship with God. Those who produce the fruits of the kingdom will care for one another and for the stranger in their midst. They will provide for the widow and orphan, will care for the last and least. They will strive to be found at peace, as 2 Peter encourages us to be, and will give praise to God with lives of righteousness as Amos calls for.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
What's Your Motivation?
Jim:
Amos 3:12-4:5
There is a lot of sarcasm in the words of Amos found in verses 4 and 5. “Come to Bethel—and transgress to Gilgal––,” he writes, “and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; bring a thank offering of leavened bread, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel! says the Lord God.” Clearly it is not enough to go through the motions, to give offerings or make sacrifices if one’s heart is not in the act. What God seeks, according to Amos, is righteousness and justice not meaningless ritual. The question is what motivates our actions toward God? Do we give freely and generously because we are grateful to God, because we acknowledge God’s grace in our lives? Or do we try to “hedge our bets,” so God will get off our backs and leave us alone? Do we try to separate our giving from our living? Amos tells us that God is not interested in empty gestures. God wants our whole-hearted devotion and our full attention.
2 Peter 3:1-10
The author of 2 Peter also wants his readers to examine their motivation. Portions of verses 1 and 2 say, “…I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles.” Are our intentions sincere? Do they resonate with the will of God as spoken by prophets and apostles? Do they reflect God’s love? Or are we simply going through the motions in order to buy ourselves some time, or to avoid unpleasant circumstances? It is important that we consider what motivates us even as we seek to live lives of faithful obedience.
Amos 3:12-4:5
There is a lot of sarcasm in the words of Amos found in verses 4 and 5. “Come to Bethel—and transgress to Gilgal––,” he writes, “and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; bring a thank offering of leavened bread, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel! says the Lord God.” Clearly it is not enough to go through the motions, to give offerings or make sacrifices if one’s heart is not in the act. What God seeks, according to Amos, is righteousness and justice not meaningless ritual. The question is what motivates our actions toward God? Do we give freely and generously because we are grateful to God, because we acknowledge God’s grace in our lives? Or do we try to “hedge our bets,” so God will get off our backs and leave us alone? Do we try to separate our giving from our living? Amos tells us that God is not interested in empty gestures. God wants our whole-hearted devotion and our full attention.
2 Peter 3:1-10
The author of 2 Peter also wants his readers to examine their motivation. Portions of verses 1 and 2 say, “…I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles.” Are our intentions sincere? Do they resonate with the will of God as spoken by prophets and apostles? Do they reflect God’s love? Or are we simply going through the motions in order to buy ourselves some time, or to avoid unpleasant circumstances? It is important that we consider what motivates us even as we seek to live lives of faithful obedience.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
God's Word at Work
Jim:
Amos 3:1-11
Beginning in verse 3 there is a series of illustrative questions culminating in verse 8, which combines the imagery of the preceding verses: “The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?” The bottom line is that when God calls someone to act as a prophet, they simply can not resist, any more than one might resist fear caused by the roaring of a wild animal. There is no point blaming the prophets, then, for the words they speak. They are only doing what God has compelled Them to do, only saying what God has revealed to them. To borrow a famous line from the movie “The Godfather”, it’s as if God has “made them an offer they can’t refuse.”
2 Peter 1:12-21
2 Peter offers a similar perspective on prophecy. Verses 20 and 21 read, “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” God is behind all revelation, God is in the word spoken by God’s prophets. Speaking that word is not an act that originates with the person, but rather is in response to God’s action. I think Peter would recognize this as an ongoing phenomenon and not reserved to the prophets of the past. When we prophesy, that is when we speak God’s word for the world with authority, it is in response to God’s activity. In 2 Corinthians Paul says, “What we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord.” In other words it’s not about us. But as the writer of 2 Peter reminds us, speaking the word doesn’t begin with us either.
Matthew 21:12-22
According to Matthew, the religious leaders of Jerusalem objected to what the children were saying about Jesus, calling him the Son of David. Jesus’ reply was to quote Psalm 8. “Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, have you never read, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself ?”’” Again, God’s word must be proclaimed, God’s praise must be uttered. God is at work making that word alive in our midst, whether it is on the lips of prophets or of children.
Amos 3:1-11
Beginning in verse 3 there is a series of illustrative questions culminating in verse 8, which combines the imagery of the preceding verses: “The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?” The bottom line is that when God calls someone to act as a prophet, they simply can not resist, any more than one might resist fear caused by the roaring of a wild animal. There is no point blaming the prophets, then, for the words they speak. They are only doing what God has compelled Them to do, only saying what God has revealed to them. To borrow a famous line from the movie “The Godfather”, it’s as if God has “made them an offer they can’t refuse.”
2 Peter 1:12-21
2 Peter offers a similar perspective on prophecy. Verses 20 and 21 read, “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” God is behind all revelation, God is in the word spoken by God’s prophets. Speaking that word is not an act that originates with the person, but rather is in response to God’s action. I think Peter would recognize this as an ongoing phenomenon and not reserved to the prophets of the past. When we prophesy, that is when we speak God’s word for the world with authority, it is in response to God’s activity. In 2 Corinthians Paul says, “What we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord.” In other words it’s not about us. But as the writer of 2 Peter reminds us, speaking the word doesn’t begin with us either.
Matthew 21:12-22
According to Matthew, the religious leaders of Jerusalem objected to what the children were saying about Jesus, calling him the Son of David. Jesus’ reply was to quote Psalm 8. “Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, have you never read, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself ?”’” Again, God’s word must be proclaimed, God’s praise must be uttered. God is at work making that word alive in our midst, whether it is on the lips of prophets or of children.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Amazing Grace
Jim:
Amos 2:6 –16
Oddly, the connection I made to this passage comes from verse 16, “and those who are stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.” What came to mind was the scene of Jesus’ arrest as told by Mark where, “A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.” Indeed, those who had said they would stand by Jesus to the very end ran away in his hour of greatest need. I do not assume that Jesus’ arrest is what Amos was specifically pointing to, but I do believe that in the face of God’s actions human bravado and human power melt away leaving us naked before God, exposed in our weakness and our sinfulness and in desperate need of God’s grace to cover our multitude of sins.
2 Peter 1:1-11
Speaking of having our sins covered, verse 3 offers great comfort. It says, “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Through the knowledge of the “glory and goodness” of Jesus Christ we are “covered” with everything we need to live a godly life, to be in community with God and one another. While the actions of God can lay us bare in our sinfulness, God’s grace offers us hope and peace. As John Newton wrote in the words of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.”
Matthew 21:1-11
It is fitting, then, to consider verse 10 from the gospel reading. “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in a turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’” Again, the actions of God reveal the ignorance of humanity. But more importantly, God’s grace abounds in the opportunity to answer the question, “Who is this?” To know Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, even in his death, is to know God’s richest blessing of grace for all people and to find comfort and solace in our living.
Amos 2:6 –16
Oddly, the connection I made to this passage comes from verse 16, “and those who are stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.” What came to mind was the scene of Jesus’ arrest as told by Mark where, “A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.” Indeed, those who had said they would stand by Jesus to the very end ran away in his hour of greatest need. I do not assume that Jesus’ arrest is what Amos was specifically pointing to, but I do believe that in the face of God’s actions human bravado and human power melt away leaving us naked before God, exposed in our weakness and our sinfulness and in desperate need of God’s grace to cover our multitude of sins.
2 Peter 1:1-11
Speaking of having our sins covered, verse 3 offers great comfort. It says, “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Through the knowledge of the “glory and goodness” of Jesus Christ we are “covered” with everything we need to live a godly life, to be in community with God and one another. While the actions of God can lay us bare in our sinfulness, God’s grace offers us hope and peace. As John Newton wrote in the words of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.”
Matthew 21:1-11
It is fitting, then, to consider verse 10 from the gospel reading. “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in a turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’” Again, the actions of God reveal the ignorance of humanity. But more importantly, God’s grace abounds in the opportunity to answer the question, “Who is this?” To know Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, even in his death, is to know God’s richest blessing of grace for all people and to find comfort and solace in our living.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Glimpses of Grace
Jim:
Micah 7:11-20
Verse 18 is a glimpse into the grace and mercy of God in relation to God’s people. “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency.” There is wonder in these words, surprise and joy at a discovery of great value. Who is a God like our God?! No one. Where is such a God to be found? Nowhere. And though we fail to live up to God’s intentions for us as God’s people, God continues to show us mercy—not without judgment—but ultimately with love for us. Wow!
1 Peter 4:7-19
This entire section is thoughtful and deserves careful attention. But I have settled on verse 8 as most meaningful for me today: “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.” A community based on God’s love is a community strengthened to withstand whatever may happen. Disagreements will come, misunderstandings will arise, feelings will be hurt, there will be times of tension and doubt, but if the foundation for all relationships is the love we find in God, then community and its many, many blessings can be maintained. For love will lead to forgiveness, and to second chances, and to reconciliation, and to hope.
Matthew 20:29-34
Matthew’s version of this story includes two blind men, neither of whom is named. The key to this passage may actually lie in the preceding verse 28, which frames the confession of the two men: “…just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Those around Jesus, who can see him and know what he is doing, can not understand what this means. But those who can not see, but who live in faith, can see and understand! These two men accept the fact that Jesus is the Son of David, and therefore the Messiah. They recognize his authority to have mercy on them. And they put their hope in him and his willingness to act on behalf of God, which is ultimately Jesus’ motivation.
Micah 7:11-20
Verse 18 is a glimpse into the grace and mercy of God in relation to God’s people. “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency.” There is wonder in these words, surprise and joy at a discovery of great value. Who is a God like our God?! No one. Where is such a God to be found? Nowhere. And though we fail to live up to God’s intentions for us as God’s people, God continues to show us mercy—not without judgment—but ultimately with love for us. Wow!
1 Peter 4:7-19
This entire section is thoughtful and deserves careful attention. But I have settled on verse 8 as most meaningful for me today: “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.” A community based on God’s love is a community strengthened to withstand whatever may happen. Disagreements will come, misunderstandings will arise, feelings will be hurt, there will be times of tension and doubt, but if the foundation for all relationships is the love we find in God, then community and its many, many blessings can be maintained. For love will lead to forgiveness, and to second chances, and to reconciliation, and to hope.
Matthew 20:29-34
Matthew’s version of this story includes two blind men, neither of whom is named. The key to this passage may actually lie in the preceding verse 28, which frames the confession of the two men: “…just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Those around Jesus, who can see him and know what he is doing, can not understand what this means. But those who can not see, but who live in faith, can see and understand! These two men accept the fact that Jesus is the Son of David, and therefore the Messiah. They recognize his authority to have mercy on them. And they put their hope in him and his willingness to act on behalf of God, which is ultimately Jesus’ motivation.
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