Micah 3:9-4:4
Revelation 8:1-13
Luke 10:17-24
In his song “Nobody Told Me,” John Lennon speaks in quirky images about life and all it’s perplexities, referring at one point to “Strange days indeed…most peculiar, Mama.” It’s typical stuff from the former Beatle. Lennon’s words are apt today in light of our three readings. For example, Micah warns his readers that “…Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height” (Micah 3:12). Revelation lists a number of calamities that will strike the earth affecting about one-third of all creation (Revelation 8:7ff). In Luke, Jesus discusses the authority he will give his disciples, “to tread on snakes and scorpions; and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10: 19).
But by far the most wondrous vision comes again from Micah where a new day of peace and prosperity will dawn for God’s people, so great that it will attract the nations and lead them to accept Jesus authority. It lies sometime in the future—“In days to come,” says Micah (Micah 4:1). But it will happen, “for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken “ (4:4). Why the tension between the dire warnings of Revelation, Luke, and the earlier portions of Micah and the promise of peace later in the Micah passage? Probably because both carry a great deal of truth. God’s grace begins with God’s judgment. It always has. Early in the book of Genesis God warns Adam and Eve that to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is to die (Genesis 2:17). When they eat it there are severe consequences, but they do not die. Later in Genesis God repents of creating humanity because of the evil that men and women do. God uses the waters of a mighty flood to “blot out” all people. “But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord” (6:5-8). And on it goes. In sovereignty God holds us accountable for our sins, but in mercy God continues to love and care for us. “In days to come…they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees…” (Micah 4:1, 4). It is by this tension that we know we matter to God, that what we do has meaning to God, that God is keenly interested in what we are about. Calamities may rise and fall, God’s people may struggle against nature and evil, but throughout—and especially in the end––God’s will is done and the earth becomes what it was intended to be.
Prayer: Lord, we live in strange times full of mystery and uncertainty. By your grace us to find our way through all the while praising your holy name. Amen.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Work To Be Done and Work To Be Undone
Micah 3:1-8
Luke 10:1-16
In our reading today, Micah takes particular offense at those prophets who “say ‘peace’ when they have something to eat, but declare war against those who put nothing into their mouths” (Micah 3:5). As a result God will withhold all visions and revelations from them (v. 6). Without these there is no way a prophet can function, so their work will come to a halt. Our reading from Luke offers a different set of circumstances. As Jesus tells his followers, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest” (Luke 10:2).
For Micah the issue is false prophecy. For Jesus the issue is lethargy or apathy. What is common to each is that there is always a place for the truth of God’s word and always work to be done for the coming reign of God. But if we insist on seeing things only in human terms we will often find ourselves in opposition to what God is doing. We simply cannot take God’s word and try to pass it off as something it is not. Nor can we ignore the people around us who need so desperately to hear God’s word in the first place. Jesus says that the laborers are few. What he might have said is that the honest, trustworthy laborers are few, just as Micah points out that there is no shortage of false prophets who would rather look after their own needs and not those of the people.
So which kind of work are we doing? Are we shaping a message that makes us feel better and calling it God’s word? Or are we honestly addressing those issues that confound our world according to God’s will, regardless of how unpopular it makes us or how insignificant we may feel? It’s a crucial question, because if we are going to be the body of Christ as we’ve been called to be, we need to “talk the talk” as well as “walk the walk.”
Prayer: Lord, bless us in our living today, that we may serve you faithfully and obediently and may not find ourselves ignoring your word for our own sake. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Luke 10:1-16
In our reading today, Micah takes particular offense at those prophets who “say ‘peace’ when they have something to eat, but declare war against those who put nothing into their mouths” (Micah 3:5). As a result God will withhold all visions and revelations from them (v. 6). Without these there is no way a prophet can function, so their work will come to a halt. Our reading from Luke offers a different set of circumstances. As Jesus tells his followers, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest” (Luke 10:2).
For Micah the issue is false prophecy. For Jesus the issue is lethargy or apathy. What is common to each is that there is always a place for the truth of God’s word and always work to be done for the coming reign of God. But if we insist on seeing things only in human terms we will often find ourselves in opposition to what God is doing. We simply cannot take God’s word and try to pass it off as something it is not. Nor can we ignore the people around us who need so desperately to hear God’s word in the first place. Jesus says that the laborers are few. What he might have said is that the honest, trustworthy laborers are few, just as Micah points out that there is no shortage of false prophets who would rather look after their own needs and not those of the people.
So which kind of work are we doing? Are we shaping a message that makes us feel better and calling it God’s word? Or are we honestly addressing those issues that confound our world according to God’s will, regardless of how unpopular it makes us or how insignificant we may feel? It’s a crucial question, because if we are going to be the body of Christ as we’ve been called to be, we need to “talk the talk” as well as “walk the walk.”
Prayer: Lord, bless us in our living today, that we may serve you faithfully and obediently and may not find ourselves ignoring your word for our own sake. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Listening In On the Conversation
Micah 2:1-13
Luke 9:51-62
There is a conversation going on between these two passages, reaching back and forth across the centuries. If we listen in we can learn more about what it means to be the people of God. Micah speaks words of condemnation to his audience in an effort to lead these people to righteousness. Their response is to try and silence him. “’Do not preach’—thus they preach—‘one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us'" (Micah 2:6). "If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods, saying, ‘I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,’” Micah laments, “such a one would be the preacher for this people” (v.11). Jesus, speaking to the people of his own day, seems to address the prophet. “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60).
“But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Whatever else we may find important, or compelling, or desirable; no matter how resistant we are to the idea; no matter what people say about us, or think of us, or do to us; no matter how distracted we are, even by good things like work or family, Jesus tells us to “go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” It really is that simple. But in order to proclaim the word, we must first hear it and remain open to it. We must let it judge and correct our wrongs. We must let it affirm and celebrate our joys. We must let it form us into a community of faith and sustain us as individuals. Only then can we live in faithful obedience to God and share the message with others. The ministries of Micah and Jesus were separated by hundreds of years, but when we hear them “conversing,” sharing their common understanding, we find purpose and direction for our lives. Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to your word and lead us in your paths, that we may serve you faithfully all our days. Amen.
Luke 9:51-62
There is a conversation going on between these two passages, reaching back and forth across the centuries. If we listen in we can learn more about what it means to be the people of God. Micah speaks words of condemnation to his audience in an effort to lead these people to righteousness. Their response is to try and silence him. “’Do not preach’—thus they preach—‘one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us'" (Micah 2:6). "If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods, saying, ‘I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,’” Micah laments, “such a one would be the preacher for this people” (v.11). Jesus, speaking to the people of his own day, seems to address the prophet. “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60).
“But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Whatever else we may find important, or compelling, or desirable; no matter how resistant we are to the idea; no matter what people say about us, or think of us, or do to us; no matter how distracted we are, even by good things like work or family, Jesus tells us to “go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” It really is that simple. But in order to proclaim the word, we must first hear it and remain open to it. We must let it judge and correct our wrongs. We must let it affirm and celebrate our joys. We must let it form us into a community of faith and sustain us as individuals. Only then can we live in faithful obedience to God and share the message with others. The ministries of Micah and Jesus were separated by hundreds of years, but when we hear them “conversing,” sharing their common understanding, we find purpose and direction for our lives. Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to your word and lead us in your paths, that we may serve you faithfully all our days. Amen.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Different…But the Same
Hosea 13:9-16
Acts 28:1-16
Luke 9:28-36
Our readings for today would seem to be about as dissimilar as they could be. The passage from Hosea is an oracle of judgment against Israel strongly condemning the people. Acts continues the story of Paul’s journey to Rome as a narrative. Luke, also in narrative form, tells the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. While God’s words are spoken in Hosea and Luke, God is not directly quoted in Acts. Each reading has a different thrust, with Hosea calling for repentance, Acts demonstrating the healing power of those who followed Jesus and the will of God that Paul arrive in Rome, and Luke foreshadowing the resurrection. And the differences go on from there.
But there are similarities as well. Each account is grounded in human history within a particular time frame. In each, God is working toward the restoration of the relationship between Creator and creature. Behind each reading there is a person of faith who is willing to record words and events for our consideration. And of course, we trust that the Holy Spirit is at work through each passage shedding light on the words and bringing them to life for us.
While there is only one God, the manner by which God interacts with us is not “one size fits all.” Different times and places require a diversity of responses or actions. What God might do in one setting is not what God does in another. If scripture could be condensed to five or six verses I fully believe it would lose it’s elasticity and it’s deft ability to touch us on so many different levels and in so many different circumstances. So thank God for all the variety we encounter in the Bible, but thank God, too, for the similarities that bind it all together and make it such a living (and life-affirming) document.
Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the word through which you speak to us and offer guidance. May we ever be attentive to you and your will for our lives. Amen.
Acts 28:1-16
Luke 9:28-36
Our readings for today would seem to be about as dissimilar as they could be. The passage from Hosea is an oracle of judgment against Israel strongly condemning the people. Acts continues the story of Paul’s journey to Rome as a narrative. Luke, also in narrative form, tells the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. While God’s words are spoken in Hosea and Luke, God is not directly quoted in Acts. Each reading has a different thrust, with Hosea calling for repentance, Acts demonstrating the healing power of those who followed Jesus and the will of God that Paul arrive in Rome, and Luke foreshadowing the resurrection. And the differences go on from there.
But there are similarities as well. Each account is grounded in human history within a particular time frame. In each, God is working toward the restoration of the relationship between Creator and creature. Behind each reading there is a person of faith who is willing to record words and events for our consideration. And of course, we trust that the Holy Spirit is at work through each passage shedding light on the words and bringing them to life for us.
While there is only one God, the manner by which God interacts with us is not “one size fits all.” Different times and places require a diversity of responses or actions. What God might do in one setting is not what God does in another. If scripture could be condensed to five or six verses I fully believe it would lose it’s elasticity and it’s deft ability to touch us on so many different levels and in so many different circumstances. So thank God for all the variety we encounter in the Bible, but thank God, too, for the similarities that bind it all together and make it such a living (and life-affirming) document.
Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the word through which you speak to us and offer guidance. May we ever be attentive to you and your will for our lives. Amen.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Give Us This Day Our Daily Crosses
Acts 27:27-44
Luke 9:18-27
The words of Jesus in Luke 9:23 are familiar to us. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” I imagine that normally we think of taking up our crosses as a difficult thing, a burden that we undertake for Jesus’ sake. But in Acts I believe that Paul demonstrates taking up his cross in a different way. Even at the height of a terrible storm, after 14 days with no food and no real certainty as to what will happen next (at least on the part of his shipmates; Paul knows they will not die), the apostle celebrates what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. “After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then all of them were encouraged and took food for themselves” (Acts 27:36). In this simple act of thanking God and breaking bread Paul takes up his cross, his identity as a Christian.
The language of Acts echoes that of the last supper where Jesus, too, took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to others. Communion has become for the church a source of encouragement and hope, just as it was on board the storm-tossed boat. But there are other ways to take up our crosses daily and follow Jesus. Understanding our resources to be gifts to us from God is a profound way of identifying with Jesus. Hospitality, care for those in need, and sharing the good news of the gospel are other ways we may take up our crosses daily. Worship on the Lord’s Day, service to the wider community, and prayers for the world are as well. These are not necessarily difficult tasks, but they do demand discipline and they do require us to be open about our faith.
Paul was willing to take up his cross, even in the midst of a raging sea. Are we willing to do so in the midst of our day to day lives? When we do so we make ourselves known as disciples of Jesus Christ. And in our storm-tossed world that can be a powerful message of hope.
Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to live as your people each and every day and to make our faith known to the world, that others may be encouraged and led to know you better. Amen.
Luke 9:18-27
The words of Jesus in Luke 9:23 are familiar to us. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” I imagine that normally we think of taking up our crosses as a difficult thing, a burden that we undertake for Jesus’ sake. But in Acts I believe that Paul demonstrates taking up his cross in a different way. Even at the height of a terrible storm, after 14 days with no food and no real certainty as to what will happen next (at least on the part of his shipmates; Paul knows they will not die), the apostle celebrates what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. “After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then all of them were encouraged and took food for themselves” (Acts 27:36). In this simple act of thanking God and breaking bread Paul takes up his cross, his identity as a Christian.
The language of Acts echoes that of the last supper where Jesus, too, took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to others. Communion has become for the church a source of encouragement and hope, just as it was on board the storm-tossed boat. But there are other ways to take up our crosses daily and follow Jesus. Understanding our resources to be gifts to us from God is a profound way of identifying with Jesus. Hospitality, care for those in need, and sharing the good news of the gospel are other ways we may take up our crosses daily. Worship on the Lord’s Day, service to the wider community, and prayers for the world are as well. These are not necessarily difficult tasks, but they do demand discipline and they do require us to be open about our faith.
Paul was willing to take up his cross, even in the midst of a raging sea. Are we willing to do so in the midst of our day to day lives? When we do so we make ourselves known as disciples of Jesus Christ. And in our storm-tossed world that can be a powerful message of hope.
Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to live as your people each and every day and to make our faith known to the world, that others may be encouraged and led to know you better. Amen.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Good Question
According to Luke’s account Herod the tetrarch had heard about the things that Jesus was doing and he was perplexed by it. “…(I)t was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen” (Luke 9:7-8). “…(W)ho is this about whom I hear such things?” Herod asked (v. 9).
Good question. Who is Jesus, this one about whom we “hear such things?” A few answers can be found elsewhere in the same account from Luke. In commissioning “the twelve” to go and “proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (vv. 1-2), Jesus embodied God’s act of calling and sending prophets like Elijah and Elisha, Isaiah and Jeremiah who were given powers to speak and to act on God’s behalf. And later, when he fed the 5,000 near Bethsaida, Jesus repeated a similar event in the prophetic career of Elisha (2 Kings 4:42-44). Jesus was also at work welcoming, teaching, and healing the crowds who had followed him (Luke 9:11). In this very busy passage from the gospel Jesus tells us much about himself and reveals much about his work and his identity. Who is this about whom we hear such things? He is the one who transcends the ancient prophetic witness, rises above the teachings of John, and lays claim to the power and authority that belong to God. Yet this is just a glimpse of Jesus that Luke gives us in this passage.
The resurrected Jesus may be more difficult for us to define, but today he remains in our midst, Immanuel, God with us calling, teaching, healing, and proclaiming the kingdom of heaven so that we, may discern God's will and live accofdingly.
Prayer: Lord, help us to discern your work and your will in our world, and give us the strength to follow you in faithfulness. Amen.
Good question. Who is Jesus, this one about whom we “hear such things?” A few answers can be found elsewhere in the same account from Luke. In commissioning “the twelve” to go and “proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (vv. 1-2), Jesus embodied God’s act of calling and sending prophets like Elijah and Elisha, Isaiah and Jeremiah who were given powers to speak and to act on God’s behalf. And later, when he fed the 5,000 near Bethsaida, Jesus repeated a similar event in the prophetic career of Elisha (2 Kings 4:42-44). Jesus was also at work welcoming, teaching, and healing the crowds who had followed him (Luke 9:11). In this very busy passage from the gospel Jesus tells us much about himself and reveals much about his work and his identity. Who is this about whom we hear such things? He is the one who transcends the ancient prophetic witness, rises above the teachings of John, and lays claim to the power and authority that belong to God. Yet this is just a glimpse of Jesus that Luke gives us in this passage.
The resurrected Jesus may be more difficult for us to define, but today he remains in our midst, Immanuel, God with us calling, teaching, healing, and proclaiming the kingdom of heaven so that we, may discern God's will and live accofdingly.
Prayer: Lord, help us to discern your work and your will in our world, and give us the strength to follow you in faithfulness. Amen.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Holding and Waiting
Hosea 12:2-14
Acts 26:24-27:8
The words found in Hosea 12:6 are quite similar to more familiar words from the prophet Micah. Hosea charges the people to “…hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God” (Hosea 12:6). Micah, of course, calls on God’s people “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). It is waiting "continually for God" (what I would consider an act of humility as it puts one totally at God’s behest) that Paul demonstrates so clearly in the account from Acts 26 and 27. Paul might have been freed from imprisonment, according to king Festus, had he not already appealed to the emperor (Acts 26:32). But Paul’s mission is not to go free, it is to go where God’s intends him to go, waiting continually for God, and walking in humility. This is how Paul finds himself en route to Rome as a prisoner, prepared to address the highest authorities in the known world concerning Jesus Christ as Messiah.
Waiting is not something I do well, nor is humility for that matter. Learning to accept where God has sent me as an opportunity instead of a burden requires my will and my aspirations to be subsumed into God’s purpose. It requires me to trust God instead of my own instincts. It forces me to live in open reliance upon God’s presence in my life. How did Paul, of all people, manage this? How did he allow himself to go from active persecutor of the church, to global apostle, to one in shackles? He did it by holding fast to what God expected of him and by “waiting continually for God” in faithfulness.
At some point today you or I may find ourselves in a difficult situation. We may feel that the best way to handle things is to figure it out for ourselves, to use our own wisdom and skill to deal with things. What Hosea reminds us, and what Paul knew, is that God is calling us to trust in the divine will and to live accordingly, with love, justice, and patient humility. It isn’t easy. But it is God’s will. And really, that should be enough for you and me.
Prayer: Lord, help us to live with justice and love and patience, even in the most trying of times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Acts 26:24-27:8
The words found in Hosea 12:6 are quite similar to more familiar words from the prophet Micah. Hosea charges the people to “…hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God” (Hosea 12:6). Micah, of course, calls on God’s people “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). It is waiting "continually for God" (what I would consider an act of humility as it puts one totally at God’s behest) that Paul demonstrates so clearly in the account from Acts 26 and 27. Paul might have been freed from imprisonment, according to king Festus, had he not already appealed to the emperor (Acts 26:32). But Paul’s mission is not to go free, it is to go where God’s intends him to go, waiting continually for God, and walking in humility. This is how Paul finds himself en route to Rome as a prisoner, prepared to address the highest authorities in the known world concerning Jesus Christ as Messiah.
Waiting is not something I do well, nor is humility for that matter. Learning to accept where God has sent me as an opportunity instead of a burden requires my will and my aspirations to be subsumed into God’s purpose. It requires me to trust God instead of my own instincts. It forces me to live in open reliance upon God’s presence in my life. How did Paul, of all people, manage this? How did he allow himself to go from active persecutor of the church, to global apostle, to one in shackles? He did it by holding fast to what God expected of him and by “waiting continually for God” in faithfulness.
At some point today you or I may find ourselves in a difficult situation. We may feel that the best way to handle things is to figure it out for ourselves, to use our own wisdom and skill to deal with things. What Hosea reminds us, and what Paul knew, is that God is calling us to trust in the divine will and to live accordingly, with love, justice, and patient humility. It isn’t easy. But it is God’s will. And really, that should be enough for you and me.
Prayer: Lord, help us to live with justice and love and patience, even in the most trying of times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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