Like There's No Tomorrow

Hebrews 3:12-19

The Christian faith is a community faith, one that requires men and women, the young and the old to stand together as the body of Christ at work I the world. Only when we are in relationship with others may we fully live the relationship - the covenant - we have with God. But the Christian faith is also a 'right now' faith, one that looks forward to the coming of God's reign, but which lives out its witness in the present. The book of Hebrews helps us to put this aspect of our relationship with God and with one another into focus. "...Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrew 3:13). For the writer of Hebrews there is no time like the present in which to do the work of God, in which to stand united with a common purpose, in which to act on the faith we confess. Yes, we have a sure and certain hope of what God will do in the time to come, but the call we receive is to be awake now and to exhort and care for one another on every day called "today."

Ours is a "right now" faith for in grace God entered world in the person of Jesus Christ, a real person who lived at a real time and place, but whose love continues to abound in our midst. As God's people may we live like there is no tomorrow, and may we do so with a unity of purpose.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us recognize today and everyday as a gift from you and a blessing to be cherished and shared. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Skepticism Abounds

John 1:43-51

In our increasingly electronic age we find ourselves bombarded with information of all sorts, much of which is dubious in nature. A healthy dose of skepticism is a necessity when opening an email, for example, or watching a political ad.

But what if we need to convey information to someone else? How do we overcome their doubts? The gospel of John offers insight on addressing skepticism. “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see’” (John 1:45-46). Ultimately all Philip did to answer Nathanael’s question was to invite him to check it out. “Come and see,” he said.

The good news of Jesus Christ, as enlivened by the Holy Spirit, is capable of changing lives. In our efforts to share that good news we do not really need to be experts on complicated theological subjects. Imagine approaching your neighbor with the words, “Bob, I need a minute of your time to tell you about the Second Helvetic Confession and what a difference it can make in your life.” I don’t know about you, but most of the neighbors I’ve had are far more interested in personal stories of faith than ancient rubrics or constructs authored by long-dead academics. (There’s a place for such stuff, but it isn’t back yard barbeques.) Philip hit the nail on the head. When Nathanael scoffed at what he said, Philip simply challenged Nathanael to “come and see.” Sometimes that’s all it takes. Sometimes we need to let God deal with the skepticism and simply invite others to participate.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to share our faith in simple terms and to allow your Spirit to work through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Season For Endorsements

John 1:29-42

As the process that leads to the election of the President of the United States continues to heat up we will begin to hear more and more endorsements or pledges of support for one candidate or another. Coincidentally that is exactly what John the Baptist is doing in our gospel reading for today. “And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on (Jesus). I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God’" (John 1:32-34).

“This is the Son of God.” Now there is an unambiguous statement of faith, and it comes from a man who had attracted the attention of even the most devout of religious leaders of his day. “I’m not the one,” John was saying, “but I know who he is, and I know what he has been sent to do. Believe in him.”

During this season of endorsements may we as people of faith add our voices to that of John the Baptist. Let us say with conviction, “This is the Son of God.” But more than saying the words, let us live them; let us point to Jesus Christ with our actions as well that the world may come to know and believe in the mercy of God as revealed in God’s Son.

Prayer: Lord, may our lives be dedicated to your service and may we bear witness to your Son Jesus Christ in all that we do. Amen.

Prayer Is a Big Deal

Psalm 5

One of the morning psalms for today addresses God this way: “Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing. Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch” (Psalm 5:1-3). Like so many others psalms, this one is a prayer, but it is also a description of prayer. The psalmist speaks, sighs, cries, prays, pleads, and watches. Prayer, in this case, is far from passive and certainly not limited to perfunctory blessings at mealtime. It is an activity that subsumes the entire person and requires full attention. To pray like the psalmist in Psalm 5 is to be fully engaged and fully attentive. Nothing else will do but to gives oneself completely to the effort.

I have recently discovered the poetry of Mark Jarman. In his poem “Five Psalms” he writes:

First forgive the silence

That answers prayer,

Then forgive the prayer

That stains the silence.

Excuse the absence

That feels like presence,

Then excuse the feeling

That insists on presence.

Pardon the delay

Of revelation,

Then ask pardon for revealing

Your impatience.

Forgive God

For being only a word,

Then ask God to forgive

The betrayal of language.

(http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/241978)

There is a seriousness in the give and take of Jarman’s prayer that requires attention. One does not quickly fire off an appeal to God like a divine text message. Instead, prayer is hard work that involves the full mind and spirit, that recognizes God’s presence in the conversation and the total inadequacy of the one who prays. The relationship may appear equally balanced, but that is only because God lowers the divine self into that position.

If you are like me your prayers are far less serious than they should be. If you are like me there are way too many abbreviated “shopping list” prayers offered and far too few hours devoted to the hard work of meaningful conversation. As people of faith, however, we are charged with the responsibility of conversing with God, on behalf of ourselves and of others. It is, ultimately, worth the effort.

Prayer: Lord, forgive our inadequacy in prayer. Help us to approach you with respect and attentiveness that our words may have true meaning and our hearts be filled with the knowledge of your presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Until Then

Revelation 21:22-27

The old joke says that sin keeps ministers in business. That is only a joke (and not a very good one at that). The truth is that the church as the body of Christ exists to faithfully serve its Lord and Savior; clergy and laity alike share this responsibility (see my blog post from January 5, 2012 for more on that subject). The time is coming when there will be no need for the church as an institution for we will all dwell in the presence of the living God. We find such an assurance in our reading from Revelation for today. “I saw no temple in the city,” we read, “for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22-23).

Years ago John Lennon challenged his listeners to “Imagine” a world without boundaries or institutions. John, the writer of Revelation, is making essentially the same observation. In the coming reign of God there will be no need for religion as we know it, no place for governments or socio-economic classes. Even the elements of nature that we consider essential for life will become superfluous, all replaced by the glory of God and of the Lamb.

So, yes, I look forward to the day when the church is rendered obsolete, when symbols of earthly power and authority cease to have meaning. When that day comes God will stand alone in undiluted majesty and we will know life as it is intended to be.

Prayer: Lord, give us patience to await the day of your coming and the love we need to care for one another in the meantime. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayers, Please

Ephesians 6:10-20

As a preacher and one who is often called upon to minister to those in need I was drawn to a verse in Ephesians today. “Pray also for me,” it says, “so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel…” (Ephesians 6:19). This should be a constant request from all ministers, all chaplains, all preachers, all priests, all those seeking ordination. All of us depend on the gifts of the Spirit to fulfill our calling. All of us require God’s strength and God’s grace. To pray for one who ministers is to ask God to sustain him or her in the work being done. So by all means, please pray for me.

But in truth the words of Ephesians 6:19 should be on the lips of all believers. As members of the body of Christ we have been sent into the world to offer our witness to the grace and love of our God, to point to the good news that has come to us and that all people need to hear. May all of us, clergy and laity alike, be given words to speak concerning the “mystery of the gospel” and may we receive the boldness we need to speak with conviction and with clarity. Perhaps the common greeting shared between Christians should be “pray for me. Pray that God gives me words to speak. Pray that God gives me the courage to speak them. Pray that God leads me in right paths so that I may demonstrate the gospel in all that I do. Pray for me, please.” And having greeted one another in such a way we should then set ourselves to the task.

Prayer: Lord, grant all of your people a message of hope for the world and give them all the confidence they need to share it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Nation in Need of ‘Crossing Over’

Joshua 3:14-4:7

John 9:1-12, 35-38

In my country I am blessed with the freedom to worship as I choose. But I also know that with freedom can come complacency, and with complacency can come apathy. It costs me nothing to say I am a Christian; does that make my confession worthless? It could if I do nothing with it. It is times like these when the church as the body of Christ – “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, God’s own people,” as 1 Peter 2:10 tells us – must be willing to “cross over” and become what God has called it to be. “While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan” (Joshua 3:17). The significance of this account may not be that the waters parted for the people or that the ark was held by the priests, the significance may well come in the fact that the people finally entered the land to which God had been leading them. They “crossed over” into a new relationship with the Creator.

God’s call reverberates throughout the world and rests on those whom God chooses. It is the church, then, with all of its diversity and all of its variations, that faces the challenge of living the way God intends. What we do, what we say, how we act and react: these are the factors that make our faith visible, that give truth to our confession. John tells us that when Jesus introduced himself to the man he had healed from blindness the man said, “‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped him” (John 9:38). How can others come to know the Lord? When we as the body of Christ “cross over” to what God intends, when we leave behind our old lives and begin to live out our calling day after day, setting aside our partisan behavior, letting go of our will and embracing the will of God.

The church as the body of Christ bears a great responsibility in the world, and it is an honor to stand with all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord. But are we willing to make a costly decision? Are we willing to “cross over” and become what God wants us to be?

Prayer: Lord, lead your church toward your coming reign and fill us again with your Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.