Faith Made Real

Hebrews 9:15-28

John 5:19-29

The Apostles’ Creed says of Jesus Christ that “he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” The truth of this statement is woven throughout scripture, including our readings for today. Hebrews tells us that “Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24). The gospel reading for today adds to this understanding. There Jesus himself says, “For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:26-27).

Jesus is no longer constrained to the human condition, and yet, because the Son of Man lived among us, he is able to relate to us. God’s judgment then, while real, is not arbitrary. Nor is it without mercy. In my own faith tradition—as in many others—the confession of sin is preceded by the reminder that God waits with eagerness to forgive our sins even as we confess them. This is the good news of the gospel, that in Jesus Christ–Son of God, Word made flesh–God was reconciling the world to God’s self.

Prayer: God of grace and mercy, continue to forgive our sins. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

What About the Others?

John 5:1-18

Would Jesus really have healed only one person out of many? Would Jesus really have singled out an individual and restored him to health while ignoring others? If we read it a certain way that’s the impression that we might get from our gospel text for today. “Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids — blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?…Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk” (John 5: 2-6, 8-9). That’s great for the one man, but what about the others? What about the other “blind, lame, and paralyzed” people who were there that day?

This is an interesting point to ponder, no doubt, but it is not really what the passage is telling us. The central issue here is that whatever healing took place was done on the Sabbath which caused the religious leaders of the day to be very angry. They could not tolerate the fact that Jesus broke the law of Moses, even if it was for the purpose of restoring fullness to a man’s life. So maybe the real question to ask is why did Jesus not heal the religious leaders of his day of their closed minds and hard hearts? Why did Jesus leave so many people bound to sin and a dependence on the law?

Eventually, of course, that is exactly what Jesus offered to the world when he died on the cross. Jesus gave his life so that those who believed in him - the blind, lame, and paralyzed, along with uptight religious leaders - might find salvation and grace. Turns out there were a whole bunch of folks who needed Jesus’ attention that Sabbath day, some of whom knew it, and some who did not. So which group are we in?

Prayer: Lord, heal us of all that harms us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Difficult Faith

John 4:43-54

According to commentator Lamar Williamson Jr. is his book Preaching the Gospel of John: Proclaiming the Living Word, our text from the fourth gospel today is a story in which a man’s life is transformed by his desperate search for a miracle. “Then (Jesus) came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe’" (John 4:46-48).

For me the challenging part of the text comes in Jesus’ initial rebuff of the official. It is only when the man persists that Jesus heals the son (from a distance) and as a result plants the seeds of faith. But would Jesus really have allowed the son to die had the father not continued to beg? There is no way to tell. We only know what we read which is that Jesus did act and the boy did recover as a result. If nothing else, though, this passage should remind us that faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is to be taken very seriously. If we want signs and wonders for our own delight, if we seek a good luck charm that we can keep in a dresser drawer for special occasions, if we are only interested in Jesus on our terms (what can Jesus do for me?) then we will find that we have no faith at all. But if we are willing to trust Jesus as Lord of our lives all the time, to remain attuned to the message of the gospel even when it is not to our liking, to allow Jesus to work through us as vessels of grace for others, then Jesus is already calling us to respond.

As difficult as it is, the story about the royal official’s son is a reminder of the demands that faith places upon us, of the claims it makes on our time and talents. Faith, too, is difficult, but as a gift from God nothing is more important in our lives.

Prayer: Lord grant us the faith we need to live as your people all the days of your lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Parenthetically Speaking

John 4:16-26

The translation of scripture into a particular language is not always the best guide to the passage’s intent, but the way the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible renders part of our gospel reading for today is interesting. Jesus is speaking with the woman at the well in Samaria. “The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you’” (John 4:25-26). My question is why is the phrase “who is called Christ” placed in parenthesis? This is not a part of the woman’s remarks—the NRSV leaves the parentheses outside of the quotation marks. So if the woman didn’t pause to more fully define “Messiah,” who did? The answer is the author of John did, or at least the NRSV Bible assumes he did. And if the author of John added the words “who is called Christ” it would appear to be for the benefit of those who will encounter the text in years to come; which, by the way, includes you and me.

Think of it this way then: sitting by the well we see Jesus, a Samaritan woman, and everyone who will ever read the account as shared in John’s gospel. That’s us, bound up by the parenthesis, those who can hear the stage whisper, as though the woman herself was saying, “Pssst, I know you’re there, now pay attention,” at which point Jesus himself nods his agreement. Reading scripture should never be taken as a passive encounter. To interact with the word of God is to be subsumed into the story. We may not be characters per se, but we have a role to play. We are to listen, to learn, to grow, and then to share with others which is pretty much what the Samaritan woman did in this story.

John was writing for our benefit, and the benefit of millions of others over the centuries. The parentheses of John 4:25 is just one small reminder that we can not hide unnoticed. We, the readers and hearers of scripture, have been shoved into the scene and given a role to play. This is how story, too.

Prayer: Lord, help us to hear your word and to live out its meaning in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Priorities

John 4:1-15

"Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" (John 4:12). According to our reading from John this morning a Samaritan woman asked this question of Jesus. In hindsight it is an ironic thing to ask. Of course the Son of God, the Word Incarnate, is greater than Jacob and his sons. But in a contemporary setting the woman's inquiry should probably give us pause. I know that I ask similar questions just about daily. Oh, they are not as pointed, of course, but behind the choices that I make, behind the decisions that I reach, there lies a fundamental conflict.

"Jesus, are you greater than the things I want to buy with MY money?"

"Jesus, are you greater than the rights I claim as a citizen of a nation?"

"Jesus, are you greater than the platform of any political party or any candidate or any administration?"

"Jesus, are you greater than what I think I know to be true about the church before I even ask?"

The answer is always yes, of course, but the fact that I ever find myself dealing with such issues is telling. Humility before the Lord is sometimes tough to manage, but the alternative puts us at odds with God's will. Today we all have another chance to get our priorities in order. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, help me to know you and to follow you with justice, kindness, and a humble spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Days of Flesh

Hebrews 5:7-14

John 3:16-21

What a wonderful expression the writer of Hebrews uses to describe the incarnation of Christ: "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death..." (Hebrews 5:7). "The days of his flesh" is a profound way to think about Jesus' presence in our midst. As we know Jesus was truly human in every way save for sin. That's the "flesh" part of the equation. But Jesus also took human form, was enfleshed if you will, at a specific time in human history, and in a specific place. There were "days" during which Jesus ministered, what we would call Mondays and Thursdays, sunny days and ones when the rain poured, exciting days and dull, drab days. Sound familiar? It should, because this is what being flesh is all about. It is about oversleeping and losing car keys, about worrying when the kids get home late or the iron gets left on. Life is about, well, life. It is messy and contentious and full of uncertainties that turn out fine and certainties that go by the wayside. There is always lots for us to stew over, but we should rejoice because that very stewing was sanctified by Jesus in the "days of his flesh."

Another of our readings for today is far more familiar. It comes from the gospel of John. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). This is really what the "days of Jesus' flesh" were all about, and none of the messiness, none of the contentiousness, none of the disappointments can in any way put a dent in God's intentions. Do we believe that? Then let us join hands -- greasy, sticky, calloused, sweaty, rough but flesh-covered hands -- and celebrate the lives we have been given. They are a chance for us to live to God's glory. For as messy as they are, our lives are God's gift to us.

Prayer: Lord, bless us this day with the opportunity to serve you with all we have, as imperfectly as it may be, and to love one another as you love us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Water Birds

Genesis 8:6-22

Our reading from Genesis today includes these words: “At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent out the raven…” (Genesis 8:6-7a). I have seldom paid attention to the “other bird” in this story before today. The role of the dove is well established, but what was the significance of the raven? As I wrestled with that question I wrote the following poem which I have called “Water Birds.”

Where is the raven, Lord?

Gone from the ark and no regrets

reckless, fickle,

willfulness with feathers.

The dove

all olive branch and hope

in Noah’s hands is

tame, docile, (cooing?)

This is your Spirit, Lord,

but does it know

the other

the sinner’s bird amongst the carrion

let loose with freedom

as a messenger to no one

the younger son who never came home

and how you, Lord, long for that raven?

Prayer: Lord, make a place in your heart for all your creatures, those who seek your presence continually, and those whose restlessness leads them far from the shelter you offer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.