Friends At Their Best

 

MAY 1, 2024

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity!

Friends At Their Best

If you could give a description of what humanity on its best day might be like what would you say?

I suspect that for most of us we might describe humanity at its best in some act of kindness towards one another. A vision of selflessness, sacrifice, and generosity toward another with no strings attached. I think that is why “Random Act of Kindness Day” caught on because deep down we all want to live in world like that.

Through the insight of David in Psalm 133, God invites us to notice how wonderful unity is, especially in our Christian friendships. Now, that does not mean we’ll never have tensions. I believe we know that all healthy relationships need genuine investments of time and energy, and we will all have times when a conflict will require us to listen respectfully to another person’s perspective. It may mean we need to apologize for something and ask for forgiveness.

The aim of lovingly working through conflicts to a place of peaceful unity is always about reconciling the friendship. And when that happens, it’s wonderful, not only for the ones who’ve worked through the conflict, but it’s also an inspiration for others and a witness to the gift of faith as our foundation in all relationships. No wonder our Psalm today declares “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity!” To behold the beauty of unity and kindness inspires us all to be a better version of humanity. Today let us notice the acts of kindness we receive with thankfulness, and how about we look for opportunities to offer an act of kindness to someone we meet today.

A couple years ago, I was returning home after conducting a funeral, I stopped at my favorite little shop to grab a sandwich, and someone asked me why I was so dressed up, I told them I was returning from a funeral. I placed my order and when I went to pay, I was told that the women ahead of me paid for my order. A stranger, but fellow human, with an act of kindness. That is my description of what humanity on its best day looks like.

 

BEHOLD MY BELOVED

 

April 30, 2024


Matthew 3:17

“… behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

BEHOLD MY BELOVED

The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the cornerstone and the centre of our faith. For example, Ephesians 2:19-22 records

9 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Psalm 118:2 is quoted in Acts 4 in reference to Jesus, we read “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” These verses describe how Jesus is the foundation of the Faith Community and the fulfillment of God’s promises.

God shows the awe and honour owed to Jesus when His words announce ‘behold,' my son, and there God makes a public declaration of His love for His Son. When we behold Jesus, we live in awe and amazement of all He is doing. We pause and gaze and We behold Jesus as He works through situations in our lives and communities.

We behold His answer to our prayers.
We behold His constant love towards us.
We behold his transforming work in our lives, and the lives of others.

If it is in God’s heart to honour Jesus, then for us to walk in obedience to God means to honour Jesus too, and all that He lovingly sacrificed for us. Remember Paul’s words in Philippians 2 about Jesus? He describes him is this way:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Now, beholding Jesus may look different for you compared to how someone else might behold Him. We are all different in our needs. The beautiful work of the Holy Spirit is that he ministers to us in such a way that sheds light on areas in our lives where we need growth and improvement so that we can Behold Jesus work of healing in our life that ultimately strengthens our relationship with God. Have you noticed how the Holy Spirit does this? The Holy Spirit brings an awareness to those places where we are struggling to behold Jesus activity in your daily walk. From that awareness God’s spirit helps us come into the fullness of life that God intends for us all.

As Colossians 2:9 ff puts it, “… in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.”

What Is Your Greatest Desire?

 

April 29, 2024

Psalm 27:4

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

What Is Your Greatest Desire?

I wonder what your answer would be to the question, ‘What is your greatest desire?’ Your first answer might not be to have a better relational connection with a specific person, but it is likely to be in your top 5. We are wired to desire relational connection, and it turns out God’s greatest desire is to have a close, loving relationship with us.

David wrote Psalm 27:4  that more than anything else, he wanted a relationship with God that meant he could behold the beauty of the Lord. The word behold here means more than just looking at someone. It means to give your full attention to experiencing and understanding the wonder of the person or thing that has caught your gaze.

Most of the other places where the word behold appears in the Bible are invitations from God, to experience something of who He is as a loving Father, a saving friend or an empowering spirit. Take as an example Revelation 21:3

3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with humankind, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Or Consider Psalm Psalm 33:18

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy. . . .

Or the Birth announcement of Jesus in which angels appear to shepherds and say

“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. Luke 2:10

Today in Psalm 27 we are invited to join David, to take time, even a moment, to enter a space in our day where nothing matters more than being in God’s presence.

What if today before we start asking in prayer for guidance, or we start praying through our prayer list, we were to let our gaze rest on the sky, or the impact of yesterday’s rain on the grass, shrubs and tulips, or something in your field of vision that might remind you of God, our loving Creator. Let's pause and behold the love God has for us and breathe deeply in gratitude.

I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN

 

 April 26, 2024

EPHESIANS 6:11

11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

EPHESIANS 6:13-17

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Psalm 16:8

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN

Have you ever seen the picture of that lone Chinese man standing in front of a line of tanks? It's this iconic snapshot from years ago because it is a thrilling picture of courage and a man who was standing firm. Just an average looking slender guy. I think he was wearing black pants and a white shirt. He's all by Himself in front of these war machines that could easily crush him and kill him. But there he is, and he stands firm. The lead tank gets within feet of his face, but he doesn't move. He doesn't wobble, he doesn't run. He stands firm.

That picture makes me think of something that Jesus said in Matthew 24. We have read it a few times this week. He said “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Jesus said you could be living in a war zone. In the harshest of situation. Love could be completely absent, but if you stand firm to the end, you will be rescued.

It is easy to feel scared or anxious  in the “real world” because of constant change and uncertain circumstances. That is what makes Psalm 16 so encouraging. It is amazing to know that the real constant in life is the love and power of God. He has never changed in the past and He will never change in the future. God will always love us and God is always good.

When we keep God in our focus, we do not need to be alarmed about the shifting sands of life. Things around us can be constantly breaking, sinking and moving, but God promises that if we keep our eyes on Him, we “will not be shaken.”

We need God. In Him, we have consistency and a firm foundation. This foundation is how we find peace in the midst of chaos. This peace that we can have is a true testament to the power of God, and this ultimately brings glory to Him.

So, when you feel overwhelmed and uncertain about the ever-changing world, turn your eyes to the never-changing God. You will not be shaken. You will be able to stand firm.

This makes me think of the words of the Apostle Paul, He said this.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God. So that you can take your stand. Put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm them with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.

Let us keep our eyes always on the Lord. . . and we will not be shaken.”

 

 

STANDING FIRM

 

April 25, 2024

Matthew 24:6-14

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

STANDING FIRM

In Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus was, as we have identified in previous devotions, thinking of wars and rumors of wars and he was open and honest about how difficult life on Earth could be. That sometimes what we know about the realities of life on our planet just doesn’t make sense.

Here's what Jesus said.

Then you followers of Jesus will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death. And you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people because of the increase of wickedness. The love of most will grow cold.

“Thanks Pastor”, you might say, “real uplifting stuff!” What Jesus says here sounds bad, doesn't it?

He didn't say, well, someone might poke fun at you on social media. No, he said, persecuted, hand it over, put to death. Hated. Not by just one or two bad apples, but many will do this. Many false prophets will appear, the love of most will grow cold because of the increase of wickedness. This kind of message is alarming, isn’t it?

Now, before we are alarmed and before we panic at another terrible headline that doesn't make sense to us. I want to let Jesus finish the thought. Here's what he said “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Jesus gave us this incredible promise, you might be living in a relationship right now or in a family right now that is overtaken by sin, or sorrow, or the pain of senselessness. You know the ones that make us ask Why? Why? Why?

We may feel like we are living in a culture right now or in a country right now, where wickedness seems to be increasing and people's love and patience and compassion seems to be decreasing. Perhaps, You are being persecuted or feel hated. You might describe things around you as a battle a war. But Jesus said, don't be alarmed. And don't panic. The one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

This is what the Saints of old used to sing about. Take the book of Psalms as an example, there we encounter King David, who was running for his life, who was hated, persecuted, hunted, being pursued to be put to death, yet, he would often find joy in the fact that he would be saved.

God was his refuge, and his strength, his tower, and his song, David would say things like if, if God is for me. What should I be afraid of? If God is on my side, If I can run to him, and my soul can be safe, what could humans possibly do to me?

6The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies. 

Psalm 118

And Jesus, who is the son of David, wants you to think and believe, just like David. You might be hated. Your heart might be broken, but don't panic and don't lose your peace. The one who stands firm to the end? Will be saved.

What have been reading this week?

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

We see the brokenness of this world, wars, rumors of wars, the persecution. But God has a plan to bless, believe me the Bible asserts this over and over again. In this world you will have trouble, Jesus said. But take heart (you are blessed) because he has overcome the world and all of you who stand firm to the end will be saved.

 

 

 

THE BEGINNING OF BIRTH PAINS

 

APRIL 24, 2024



MATTHEW 24:6-8

6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

THE BEGINNING OF BIRTH PAINS

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a Somali refugee who is the only surviving member of his entire family. His family were killed during the genocide which took place in his country. I was deeply moved by his story, but at the same time I was profoundly aware that I could not possibly identify with this person’s sorrow, pain, or experience. After all, within a few blocks of where we were standing, I could visit with my family members.

In my experience, the veterans that I have met never want to talk about what they have experienced in war. I was reading of a veteran recently, who when asked by his family members “what did you do in the war?” His answer was always the same, “I passed out flowers.” Makes me wonder what happened. What memories this man lived through that he did not want to think about or discuss.

Some of you reading this today, can relate, either from your own experience, or the experience of friends or family who served in a place like Iraq or Afghanistan, who still live with the scars of war and struggle to cope, or try to stay healthy as they live out of the brokenness of PTSD.

Maybe you know what that's like. Maybe someone you love has served in war efforts and have come home silent and reluctant to talk about the memories of what they saw and heard and did.

With this as a backdrop, I am drawn to the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus words.

Now remember, Jesus, was living in the midst of the Jewish and Roman tension, he was thinking and speaking about things to come when the Romans would besiege Jerusalem and destroy it.

In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke these words.

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you're not alarmed. Nation will rise against Nation and Kingdom against Kingdom that there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All of these are the beginning of birth pains.”

Think about that last phrase, birth pains. Pains. I mean, Jesus was brutally honest about what life on Earth can be like.

If some of you ladies have experienced birth pains, you know what Jesus is talking about. I have heard that such pains are almost unbearable, they're torturous. You just feel like you can't even take another moment.

And that's what Jesus said about this world, and especially a world that's at war.

I don’t know how war impacts on you, but perhaps some of you feel like you can’t live through it. You can't survive another day. You can't read another headline. It breaks your heart too badly, and it takes your peace. What some people will do for the sake of more land, more oil, more power, more money, more ….

But notice Jesus didn't just talk about pains. He talked about Birth pains. You know the great thing about birth pains is that after the pains comes a birth. The pains might be the worst that you've ever been through, but something comes that is actually so good, so blissful, so, so beautiful and so much better that it makes all of the pain worthwhile. It makes all of it seem small by comparison.

I wonder if Jesus doesn’t want to put that image in our hearts today.

In Matthew Chapter 24, in the first 14 verses, Jesus uses the phrase “the end” four separate times. The end is coming. The end is coming and then the end will come. Jesus knows how bad your life can be. How you feel like you just can't keep going, especially during a war and rumors of war. But he says when the end comes, when Jesus, who is the beginning and the end, shows up again, then war will end, and pain will End. Your fear will end. Your anxiety will end. Your depression will end, the pills will end. The heartbreak will end. The divorce will end. The drama will end. The temptation will end. And something so good will start that it will make all of that seem small.

A birth so joyful, of seeing God face to face. Jesus says don't forget this. These are just the beginning of birth pains.

Near the end of the Lord’s prayer there is a line that speaks to me today, “Deliver us from evil.” Deliver, a delivery is what changes the birth pains into the birth. When the hard stuff ends, and the beautiful stuff begins.

"Lord, deliver us from evil. Come quickly. Lord Jesus, may you, the beginning and the end, put an end to our suffering so that our celebration can begin." Amen

 

DON'T BE ALARMED?

 

 

April 23, 2024

MATTHEW 24:6

6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

JOHN 16:33

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

DON'T BE ALARMED?

War is alarming, isn't it? People are dying. People are suffering. If you listen to the news streams and analysts’ projections the current conflicts that we hear so much about are unlikely to end anytime soon, that it actually could be catastrophic. It could go global. Things could get much worse.

It is light of this messaging, that I wanted to share with you today something from God’s word, the Bible. Now when you hear about wars or rumors of wars starting, that phrase may trigger in your mind something that Jesus once said the week before he died. In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke these words. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. But see to it that you are not alarmed.” All right. Yeah. It's going to happen. Wars are going to break out. There are going to be threats of other wars breaking out. Jesus says see to it. Make sure. Work hard, do everything you have to do so that you are not alarmed. So that you don't panic. So that you don't worry about it so that you don't lose the peace that Jesus wants to give to your heart.

Now that seems totally unreasonable, doesn't it? I mean if I'm just the guy scrolling on my phone, here in Canada, OK, maybe I can keep from being alarmed. But for people. For families. For those living in a war zone, Jesus are you serious? See to it that you are not alarmed? How can that be?

There are literally expecting mothers whose water is breaking as they sit in a bunker and bombs explode around them, their homes destroyed, food shortages, medication and medical care disrupted, families separated, sorrow and grief gripping the hearts of those who didn’t start a war, didn’t want a war. See to it that you're not alarmed.

While at first, it does seem like Jesus words are unreasonable for us. Think back to the prayer of our devotion yesterday. Did you notice the way each petition began?

God of Comfort
God of Justice
God of Love
God of Hope
God of Mercy
God of the Nations
Strengthen our faith in you, O God of All Flesh


Each petition focused on God. A God who is constant, and a God who is good, a God who is present in the midst of this broken world. A God who always hears our prayers, a God who is merciful, a God who is loving, and a God who is forgiving. A God who strengthens.

I wonder if that is not the place to start when “we don’t have clear answers”? We “lift our eyes up to the mountains, where does our help come from? Our help comes from you, maker of heaven creator of the earth.”

With the focus on our creator, let us open our Bibles and read the good news. Before our hearts and minds get swept up and alarmed by the wars and rumors of wars. Let's fix our eyes on the God who sent his only son to be our Prince of peace. Jesus himself said just a few days later to his friends in that upper room. "I've spoken these things to you so that in me you might find peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. Don't be alarmed. Don't lose your peace. Take heart. I have overcome the world."

 

LET US PRAY

 

War and Rumors of War. I don't know how many of you are like me in this, when it comes to War, I struggle knowing how to pray. A few weeks ago I came across the prayer below, and I have found it helpful in organizing my thoughts when I pray. Now, this prayer focuses on Israel and Palestine specifically, however its structure lends its self to praying for conflicts in other world areas too.

We hear so much about Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Hamas, yet I was shocked to discover that there are around 20 wars and rumors of war currently in our world. To be honest, that overwhelms me some days.

I am hopeful that today's post will give all of us some idea(s) of how to pray for our world and in particular the war torn parts.


Isaiah 11:9

“They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain...”

Let Us Pray

God of Comfort,
send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives
are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine.
You are the Advocate of the oppressed
and the One whose eye is on the sparrow.
Let arms reach out in healing, rather than aggression.
Let hearts mourn rather than militarize.

God of Justice,
give strength to those whose long work for a just peace
might seem fruitless now. Strengthen their resolve.
Do not let them feel alone. Show us how to support their work
and bolster their courage. Guide religious leaders to model
unity and reconciliation across lines of division.
Guide political leaders to listen with their hearts as they seek peace and pursue it.
Help all people choose the rigorous path of just peace and disavow violence.

God of Love,
we lift up Palestine and Israel — its people, its land, its creatures.
War is a monster that consumes everything in its path.
Peace is a gift shared at meals of memory with Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
Let us burn incense, not children. Let us break bread, not bodies.
Let us plant olive groves, not cemeteries.
We beg for love and compassion to prevail
on all your holy mountains.

God of Hope,
we lift up the cities of the region: Gaza City and Tel Aviv,
Ramallah and Ashkelon, Deir El Balah and Sderot,
so long divided, yet so filled with life and creativity.
Come again to breathe peace on your peoples
that all may recognize you.

God of Mercy,
even now work on the hearts of combatants
to choose life over death, reconciliation over retaliation,
restoration over destruction. 

God of the Nations,
let not one more child or elder be sacrificed on altars of political expediency.
Keep safe all people from unjust leaders who would exploit
vulnerability for their own distorted ends.
Give wise discernment to those making decisions to pursue peace.
Provide them insight into fostering well-being, freedom, and thriving for all.
Teach all of us to resolve injustices with righteousness, not rockets.
Guard our hearts against retaliation, and give us hearts for love alone.

Strengthen our faith in you, O God of All Flesh,
even when we don’t have clear answers,
so that we may still offer ourselves nonviolently
for the cause of peace.


Amen.

I WILL WAIT

 

April 19, 2024


Psalm 37

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

Be still before the LORD 

and wait patiently for him.

I WILL WAIT 

Waiting in line. Waiting for an appointment. Waiting in traffic. Waiting for repair service. Waiting on hold. Waiting for the results of a medical test. Would you agree we wait but not patiently?
Then we show up to worship after a week of waiting “here, there and everywhere” and the first words are from Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” or Psalm 31:24 “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! Then the we sing a song that begins

There is strength within the sorrow
There is beauty in our tears
And you meet us in our mourning
With a love that cast out fear
You are working in our waiting

Followed by another that says “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, as we wait upon the Lord ….”

Our explosion of technology and the availability of online resources at our thumb or fingertips, make it easy to get results, news, or information quickly. Yet when we wait or attempt to access information, we often feel frenzied not patient in the waiting. Am I right?

The psalm 37 refers to a frenzied, chaotic, turbulent state. Think of what we just read; evildoers get cut off. Fretting leads to wickedness, plotting against the righteous, and gnashing at them. But “smack dab” in the middle of these awful verses, the psalmist suggests that we be still before God and wait patiently. That’s counter-intuitive for us isn’t it, in such contexts or initial reaction is to push back to “do” something in response.

We are still in the season of Easter; we have been celebrating and reflecting on the resurrection of Jesus and its implications for our life and our world. Here was occurred to me, Waiting, yes even in frenzied waiting, we share a spiritual journey with other Jesus followers and Faith communities, who are also waiting and also sometimes frenzied. Yet, as the People of God we affirm God’s presence in the world today as we are “still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” We do this is the confidence of Isaiah 64:4 that says,

Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.


There is a prayer attributed to Saint Augustine that often is used by churches at the receiving of communion, picture it you are about to receive the Bread and Wine, and then the gathered community hears these words: “Remember who you are, become what you receive.” Let us be still and know God’s presence.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

How is waiting with God’s presence an active experience?

CRAFTED AND SHAPED

 

 April 18, 2024

Ephesians 3:21-22


21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.


2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Titus 3:5

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

CRAFTED AND SHAPED

One of the great images of “Resurrection Transformation” for me is a caterpillar undergoing a miraculous transformation, emerging from its cocoon as a stunning butterfly. The metamorphosis is complete, and the once plain creature is now a beautiful creation, spreading its wings in freedom. I think that is why I follow so closely the Monarch Butterfly in our area, not only the migration but also the local Monarch enthusiasts who plant gardens with milkweed and “rich nectar” flowers to help with the Monarch’s life cycle, rescue their eggs and protect them until they emerge from the cocoon and then are set free into God’s beautiful world.

This image of metamorphosis captures the spirit of 2 Corinthians 5:17, there we see believers portrayed as new creations in Christ. I know this verse show up a great deal in these devotions but what verse better describes God’s amazing grace-filled work through Jesus in us. Like the butterfly shedding its old form, believers leave behind the old self, embracing a transformed life in Christ.

As Jesus followers we are united with Him, revealing His character in our living. Let us recognize this for what it is, a divine miracle of transformation, as we shed our old ways and they give way to the formation of a new spirit, “Christ in Us the hope of glory.” As St Augustine was to put it, “He became who we are so that we could become who He is.”

The result of this marvelous work is the birth of a new creation, God’s masterpiece in Christ, a new me and you, stunningly crafted and shaped in His image.

Gracious God, thank you for making me a new creation in Christ. Help me continually embrace the transformative power of Your Spirit. Guide my choices and perspectives, leading me to the fullness of the new life in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

RESURRECTION PEOPLE EMBRACE AUTHENTICITY

 

April 17, 2024



Acts 5:1 

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.



2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!


Acts 1:8 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

RESURRECTION PEOPLE EMBRACE AUTHENTICITY

The end of Acts 2 and Acts 4 describes a voluntary type of shared investment among the early church. People sold their possessions and property, bringing the proceeds to the Apostles to meet the needs of others. We said this week that this was the genuine outcome God brought to a faithful group of “resurrection-living” people. It is a beautiful scene as Acts 4 concludes.

Then, in Acts 5, we are introduced to a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who did a similar thing. They sold a parcel of land and brought money from the sale to the Apostles. While they said they brought the entire proceeds, they saved some for themselves. The first push back, or conflict after Pentecost, that we are told about is “internal” not external.

There is so much to unpack in Acts 5, I hope you take the time to read the chapter. Here is what strikes me, that at a time of the powerful authenticity that we see in this community of Jesus, this couple chose hypocrisy and pretense. In Acts 4, Barnabas was admired for selling land and giving the proceeds to the apostles, Luke, then immediately records Ananias and Sapphira’s attempt to mislead the Apostles. Theirs is an example of wanting the outcome of sacrificial generosity without the process.

The scary part comes next. I remember back in seminary in our class on Acts one of my classmates saying, “Acts 5 is the scariest passage in the book of Acts.” Maybe you have thought that too. This couple, Ananias and Sapphira, come separately before the Apostles, but both experience the same thing. They lie to the Apostles. The Apostles confront them. They are struck dead by God in front of the Apostles. See why my classmate said what he said?

The bigger picture of all this is in my view, that God rejected their hypocrisy because He knew the danger it posed to this fragile group of resurrection people. I think we all know that Hypocrisy destroys our communities, many of you have witnessed this no doubt, in church, home or work. 

The profound spiritual momentum and energy recorded in Acts 1-4 could have been extinguished by Acts 5 by what Ananias and Sapphira did by lying. This shocking event occurred to eliminate this behaviour and protect the early community of Jesus. It is always in my mind when I read this account that they could have brought their sale proceeds before the Apostles and said, “we sold our land and here is a portion of the sale to support those in need.” There was no requirement to sell and give all.

So, what is the take away for us? Could it be this story is saying that resurrection people embrace authenticity. Might this story in Acts be in God’s Word to remind you and me to be who God says we are? To live our lives out of the identity we have in Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul wrote that we are new creations - the old has gone; the new has come. In Acts 1, Jesus said we are His martyrs - His witnesses.

After Acts 5, we read that the people lived with humility, reverence, and awe for God. As they lived authentically with dependence on the Holy Spirit, God moved in power. People continued to put their trust in Jesus. Resurrection kept happening all around them.

If we’re going to live as resurrection people all year long…

If we’re going to be “Easter people in a Good Friday world”...

If we’re going to see Easter become bigger than one day per year…

That journey begins as we look to Jesus and live expecting Him to bring resurrection all around us. I’m on that journey. I’m excited you are on that journey with me too!



"God, I believe You're at work in the world.
You're bringing resurrection in me and around me.
My eyes are open - I want to see You." Amen

WHAT COMES FIRST? OUTCOME or PROCESS

 

 April 16, 2024

Acts 2:42

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

WHAT COMES FIRST? 

OUTCOME or PROCESS

I Believe that many of us have had a complicated history with Acts 2:42-47. I know some Pastors who avoid preaching on this text, one colleague said to me “I did my best to avoid preaching it. The passage felt like a perfect, unrealistic, and fictional experience.” Others have said that the notion in verses 45-46 of communal ownership, and selling properties to help where there was need, “just doesn’t preach well” in our modern world. Yet, I read and listen to other Pastors who declare "If only we could just be like the Church in Acts 2."

When you read our Bible reading today, what was your first reaction? Maybe you agree with one of the views I mentioned above.

I noticed something in wrestling with this passage that helped me gain a “fuller” understanding of this text.

For these early followers of Jesus, community was not the goal, it was the outcome. These ordinary people lived as witnesses and, as we mentioned yesterday, they lived their lives with the expectation that God would move through them. They were faithful, “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer,” (vs. 42) and God looked after the outcomes. The outcome of their faithfulness was community, they looked around, and boom! They had a lot of company in those very same faithful pursuits.

I wonder, if the goal had been to build the kind of community Acts 2 describes if they would have been disappointed. I wonder if they would have missed out on witnessing the power of the resurrection at work.

My thought is that the kind of community we long for is the result of a process where we witness the resurrection of Jesus. We experience the same power which raised Christ Jesus from the dead. According to the Apostle Paul in Romans 8, that resurrection power is alive within us. See, when we experience that power and discover other people experiencing that power, God creates a united community.

So, the early disciples believed that this same power that raised Jesus from the dead was alive in them. They witnessed the resurrection. They watched Jesus ascend to heaven. They received the Holy Spirit. Resurrection power dwelt with in them. They experienced the miraculous work of God’s Spirit around them daily. People responded by trusting in Jesus and thousands were baptized. Their process was, being faithful, and learning (together) what it meant to live in light of the resurrection every day. From this process, a tight-knit, unified, together community emerges. Seems like some really good preaching material, doesn’t it?

I have lived most of my life, maybe you can relate, wanting the outcome without the process. We forget we only get a resurrection community when we live as resurrection people together.

The early disciples weren’t sitting at the tomb, expecting the resurrection of Jesus. They were grieving their crucified and dead teacher. God raised Jesus from the dead when they were hopeless. If they can be surprised by hope there, I wonder what God can do in our hearts.

"God, I believe You're at work in the world.
You're bringing resurrection in me and around me.
My eyes are open - I want to see You." Amen

 

GREATER THINGS

 

April 15, 2024

John 14:12

12 What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who believes in me will do the works I have been doing. In fact, they will do even greater things. That’s because I am going to the Father.

John 16:33

33 “I have told you these things, so that you can have peace because of me. In this world you will have trouble. But be encouraged! I have won the battle over the world.”

1 Corinthians 15:54

54 In fact, that is going to happen. What does not last will be dressed with what lasts forever. What dies will be dressed with what does not die. Then what is written will come true. It says, “Death has been swallowed up. It has lost the battle.”

 GREATER THINGS

Sometimes I think about what it would have been like to be among the followers of Jesus in the time depicted in the gospels, to hear the words spoken, see the miracles. Have you ever thought of what it would have been like to sit in front of Jesus' teaching? Would you have been taking hurried notes, live messaging His best lines, or camera recording it to post on your Instagram stories?

The longer I have followed Jesus and the more I re-read the Gospels, I wonder if I would have been confused, or unsure about what Jesus said. If I had been there and heard what Jesus said in John 14. There, He told the disciples that if they believed in Him, they would do the things He had been doing and even greater things than He had done.

What?! I believe most of us have wrestled with the implications of this verse. Because of the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised we would do greater things than He did.

Remember the context of these words Jesus spoke in John 14 and 16. They occurred during the Last Supper. This conversation most have been fresh in the disciples' memories after Jesus resurrected, spent 40 days with them, and then returned to heaven. It impacted how they lived in the days after the Holy Spirit came upon them with power, just as Jesus had promised.

What I notice, in the Book of Acts particularly is that as those early disciples went through their daily lives, they lived like they expected great things. Like they expected God to do these great things through them. And do you know what happened? God did great things!

The early disciples, I believe, knew something that we need to believe today. I read one time that “Our expectations shape our experience.”

When we experience the resurrection in our lives, we begin to notice the resurrection in our world. We leave room for God to bring life out of a situation that seems dead. We expect God to bring reconciliation out of betrayal. We find brokenness and injustice, and we anticipate God will bring healing and justice there. We hold onto hope!!

Resurrection hope does not deny reality; it defies reality. We see the same thing everyone else does, but we also know that resurrection power is at work in the world. We don’t ignore what we see. We simply see more through a “resurrection worldview”.

So, what are you expecting today? We know that God will not meet every one of your expectations. He did not promise that death, and despair will never happen in our life. God did boldly promise that resurrection power was at work in us.

"God, I believe You're at work in the world.
You're bringing resurrection in me and around me.
My eyes are open - I want to see You." Amen

Let’s pray this little prayer above each day this week, and then with eyes open watch for God’s revelation and resurrection. Share what you notice with someone.

MARTYR! WHO ME?

 

April 10, 2024

Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

2 Corinthians 5:14

For Christ’s love compels us ....

MARTYR! WHO ME?

We all have experiences that mark us. It seems impossible to explain who we are, and how we move through the world, without mentioning those moments.

For me it was a trauma I experienced at a young age. The supernatural healing of a family member who had a tumor disappear, leaving the Doctor’s without explanation. Marrying into a family that accepted me and loved me, so much so that I dropped “in law” from my language, they became Mom, Dad, sister, brother to me. In 1996 God picked me up in one Christian denomination and set me down in another Christian domination to pastor, for which I am grateful everyday.

I am a witness to those events in my life. You, also are a witness to the events which made you who you are today.

Following His resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days on earth, appearing to over 500 people and confirming His defeat of death. Before He ascended to heaven, He spoke a few final words to His disciples.

In Acts 1:8, Luke records Jesus announcing that the early disciples would be His witnesses. He told them they would head out from Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

One of things about Acts 1:8 that has really shaped my thought is the Greek word used in the verse for “Witness” translates as “martyr”. Martyr means “a witness.” When Jesus was preparing to leave his disciples and ascend to heaven, He said to them, “You will be martyrs.”

Truth is history reports that in the ancient Roman Empire, around the late 60s AD, many followers of Jesus died for their faith. They died in the Colosseum at the hands of lions. The Romans crucified them outside cities. Doused in oil, they burned at the stake to provide light for lavish parties.

These martyrs died because they confessed Jesus as Lord, not Caesar. Followers of Jesus refused to deny the resurrection of Jesus, unwilling to speak something they knew to be untrue.

For centuries, the word martyr has been used to describe someone who loses their life because of their faith or commitment to a cause. It has carried a negative connotation in some circles. However, you do not have to die to become a martyr. In truth, all of us are martyrs. We are witnesses to what we believe and what we value every day. In our jobs. With our family and friends. In our neighbourhoods. In our city and county. As I see it, you and me were martyr’s yesterday. We were a witness to what we believe and witnessed to why it mattered.

Remember, what we have been saying? Resurrection isn’t just a day on the calendar, the Easter message is the focal point of our faith. Our words and actions are influenced by our belief in the resurrection. For example, when we enter rooms, conversations, and relationships expecting God’s resurrection power to be at work in us and through us, believe me people can feel that. We are living as martyrs to the resurrection every day! I believe that when we take account of the things that shape us, and our personal experience of resurrection and new life, we live with great hope and expectation, and that is our “witness” that people notice.

LET US PRAY

God, fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Let my words carry the weight of Your love, So that those who listen may know Your heart. Lord Jesus, grant me the eloquence to share Your story of redemption and bear witness to Your sacrifice. Amen

 

EXPECTING RESURRECTION

 

April 9, 2024

Romans 8:11

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

EXPECTING RESURRECTION

Do you expect resurrection,

When you get out of bed in the morning?

When you go to work?

When you sit down with a friend?

Many of us believe in Jesus’ resurrection, but do we believe that power is still at work in our world today? A while ago, Barbara Johnson wrote that "we are Easter people in a Good Friday world.” Does that make sense? In a world marked by death and darkness, hate and anger, and disappointment and grief, sounds like Good Friday themes don’t you think. I wonder is it possible to live as resurrection people in a world of brokenness and discord?

What would it look like to expect resurrection? Resurrection is the hope that out of death, life can emerge. If you've experienced betrayal or relationship wounds, expecting resurrection might look like trusting someone enough to let them in. If you've lost a job, a business, or a dream, expecting resurrection is choosing to begin dreaming again. In the broken, twisted, and heart-wrenching experiences of life, resurrection invites us to keep believing in life and working for beauty, justice, love and light to overcome (eclipse?) the darkness.

The Apostle Paul said that the same power that resurrected Jesus is now at work in us. Have you considered that this resurrection power is at work in you? We resurrection people can respond with love and peace because we have been healed and made whole (Made New), through Jesus Christ.

Over the next few devotions, together let us consider how to live as resurrection people by grasping the pattern of the first disciples of Jesus. Easter Day may be over, but there is so much more to discover about resurrection living. May God help us to understand and experience the power of the resurrection of Jesus.

May you “have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God”

Ephesians 3:19

RAISED TO LIFE

April 8, 2024

 

 John 20:19-20

On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 

RAISED TO LIFE

Resurrection Matters. Resurrection alters things. Resurrection creates new life and renewal. When the truth of Easter lays hold of us we live as a changed people. Not because of any personal accomplishments, but because of what was done on our behalf. Jesus’s resurrection gives us a new identity. This is so beautiful, after Jesus resurrection, the basis of our identity is not in the choices we make or what we accomplish, but who we are, our identity is found in who Christ’s resurrection has made each of us to be.

The life of the disciples after meeting the resurrected Jesus reminds me of this. “On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord (John 20:19-20).”

It was the first day of the week. The disciples had locked themselves away out of fear. Everything Jesus had taught, everything He had said or done… it all seemed like some distant memory now.

However,  we see these same disciples again in Acts 4, preaching to the Jewish leaders they had been hiding from. “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).”

Something happened in that locked room that radically transformed them from fearful, anxious followers into powerful witnesses that refused to be silenced, they would not be ashamed of the gospel, they would not stop proclaiming what Jesus had done, even at the cost of their own lives.

What I want to suggest about these followers is that they began to live, not out of who they were, but out of who the resurrection had made them to be. Their encounter with Christ was so deeply rooted in their hearts and minds that they never forgot what Jesus had done in his suffering, death and resurrection. Acts, well the rest of the New Testament tells us, that this was the story they told, over and over again, for the rest of their lives.

The resurrection was everything to/for them. It was both and end and a beginning as we observed on Friday's devotion. It was the end of who they had been, and the beginning of who they truly were meant to be. When Jesus came back to life, they came alive too.

Let us give Easter/Resurrection the place it deserves,  let us not relegate it to a day on the calendar but to a defining moment we celebrate over and over again, day after day for the rest of our lives like those first disciples. 

Christ has risen. The grave is empty. Everything is changed. 

Romans 6:4

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

 

UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE: THE END?

 

April 5, 2024

Matthew 28:5-6

“I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, ….”



Matthew 28:18

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE:

THE END?

We have spent the past few weeks looking forward to Resurrection. We prepared our hearts. We reflected on the cross and its significance. Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday we spent time waiting for the discovery of an empty grave and a risen Savior. And then it comes. Jesus comes, “up from the grave He Arose”, we sing. And then it’s over.

The temptation is to treat Easter like it’s an ending. Jesus is risen we went to church, we celebrated, we gathered for a family feast. Now it’s back to “normal life.” Can you connect with this feeling?

But nothing was normal after Jesus. resurrection was a revolution. It was the day after which nothing was the same ever again. This event changes everything.

I mean, when a man who claims to be God rises from the dead, it just cannot be “business as usual”, normal life, whatever that was/is, ceases to exist. From resurrection day forward, life is lived by either affirming that he is risen or by denying it. I have come to recognize that Easter isn’t just a time to pause and reflect on some nice truths that we tend to forget in our busy world of family, friends, and vocation. Resurrection is the core of our faith. It is the truth that establishes hope.

It is April, we are a third of the way through 2024, and maybe the “fresh start” you thought this year would bring has already been contaminated with disappointments, mistakes, failures. If that’s normal life, then I am sure that you, like me, are ready for a change, ready for resurrection.

Easter isn’t an ending. It’s a beginning. It’s THE beginning, the fresh start all our hearts long for. It isn’t about fluffy bunnies, cute as they are, and beautiful pastel colors. No Easter season is about the radical death, relentless love, and revolutionary power that is ours in Jesus.

The cross, the empty grave, and the resurrected Jesus not only give us a reason to hope for change and renewal, but they also give us the power for change and renewal. See, maybe instead of us trying to bring change from our own efforts, we need to lean in with faith and let the resurrection change us.

In Romans 8, Paul reminds us: “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

This changes everything!!