God is not against us......

Romans 8:31  What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32  He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33  Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34  Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35  Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36  As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This passage is written against a backdrop of a Jewish Christ-following community that believed God rewarded righteous people with long life, wealth, and children. Conversely, God was thought to withdraw from the unrighteous, allowing hardship, suffering, poverty and even death to become their punishment.  Paul wrote to correct this:  he posed the question “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”  The answer is emphatic: nothing that has traditionally been called God’s punishment “will be able to separate us from the love of God”.

When tough times come along, they are not a sign of God’s displeasure. Instead God accompanies us through every moment of the hardships of life. And because of the Divine presence “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

o    Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

                                                                         Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

Ordinary 18

40 God’s Abundant Provision

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 249.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Treasured Possessions

Deuteronomy 7:6-14:  For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7  It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you--for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8  It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10  and who repays in their own person those who reject him. He does not delay but repays in their own person those who reject him. 11  Therefore, observe diligently the commandment--the statutes and the ordinances--that I am commanding you today. 12  If you heed these ordinances, by diligently observing them, the LORD your God will maintain with you the covenant loyalty that he swore to your ancestors; 13  he will love you, bless you, and multiply you; he will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock, in the land that he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14  You shall be the most blessed of peoples, with neither sterility nor barrenness among you or your livestock.

The people are called a “treasured possession” of God. This is deeply affirming for people who were “the fewest of all the people” and redeemed “from the house of slavery”.  Sadly, what was an act of Divine magnanimous compassion in the Exodus, had become a badge of exclusive privilege by the time of Jesus. He confronts the religious leadership of his day for the way they thought to claim exclusive ownership of God’s love.

Let those of us who have had an experience of Divine love be reminded that the love of God is given to share with other people, and not to cling to as a sign of spiritual superiority.  

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit,
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.

 Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns for Those that Seek and Those That Have Re­demp­tion in the Blood of Je­sus Christ, 1747.

Ordinary 18 

40 God’s Abundant Provision

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 249.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

The Memory Text: 1 Corinthians 1:9

1Corinthians 1:9  God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I grew up learning texts from the Bible. We were taught them at Sunday School, at Church youth camps and from slips of paper in boxes that contained daily texts. At the time this was an adventure in memorization, and useful for winning Bible quiz competitions.

It was only much later that I have discovered another dimension to learning texts. This has nothing to do with ‘being clever’, or knowing more than other people. Instead, this connects me to the many, many people of faith who have gone before me. Learning texts introduces me to the lives of those who wrote the Bible; these are texts that remind me of those who have encountered these same words through thousands of years; texts that move me into a larger faith community; and texts that allow me to borrow courage from the “great cloud of witnesses” that have used them, and continue to use them.

This is not an unthinking “lifting’ of a text from its context. We still need to do the work of understanding where the words originated, and how they have helped people of faith during the passing of time. Memorizing a text serves as a trigger for the rest of the teaching associated with the text, and becomes an opportunity to be refreshed by ancient wisdom.

If you have not done so before: begin by memorizing the above text.      

"The best book to read is the Bible/ The best book to read is the Bible/ If you read it every day/It will help you on your way/ The best book to read is the Bible."

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Renewing Creation

 Revelation 21:1  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4  he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." 5  And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6  Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7  Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

It is in our bones to wish for a world where things are better. And so we resonate with the longing of Revelation for  “a new heaven and a new earth”, where “death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more”

So here is my question: “Why does God put us through all this?” Why not just create us in the new heaven and the new earth... why the hardship / the sadness / the suffering / the death.... and then the new heaven and earth?

The short answer is that I really do not know....and I find it frustrating. The fact is that life is difficult, and it is difficult for everyone: rich and poor alike. So let me offer an opinion, and an invitation:  

Here is My Opinion:

I am convinced that life here on earth is part of God’s purpose. This is the preparation for eternal life with God. When we die we will not sit on clouds playing harps – we have work to do in the next life. And this life prepares us for it. This life is the “university for eternity”.  We have lessons to learn, and most of them are best learned in times of difficulty and struggle.

The Invitation:

To use every moment of life to the full:

-      Do not waste opportunities to learn as much as possible

-      Do not waste opportunities to put back into life.

Rev 21:5  And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new."

This is not a future promise – this is the present reality: God’s renewal has already begun. And we can either miss the opportunity or be part of it. The essence of the invitation is to open our eyes and discover the new creation of God – within us, and in the relationships around us.

Rev 21:6  Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

Creation is not over until God says so!

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Provoke one another…

Hebrews 10:19  Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22  let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23  Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24  And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Being “provocative” carries many connotations. If a woman is “provocative”, it suggests that she is leading someone into thoughts and actions that are less than appropriate. If someone is accused of “provoking” a situation, it meant that person is stirring dissent or is the cause of difficulties.  So it is refreshing to hear the writer of Hebrews using this word in a positive way: the invitation is to “provoke one another to love and good deeds”.  This is about encouraging each other in living good lives. Instead of provoking anger, rage, dissent or unhappiness – provoke people into actions of love.

The question for today asks if we can - like those who first read the letter to the Hebrews - provoke each other to acts of  ‘love and good deeds’?

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Summonsed to His Service

Isaiah 41:1  Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment. 2 Who has roused a victor from the east, summoned him to his service? He delivers up nations to him, and tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. 3  He pursues them and passes on safely, scarcely touching the path with his feet. 4  Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, am first, and will be with the last. 5  The coastlands have seen and are afraid, the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.6  Each one helps the other, saying to one another, "Take courage!" 7  The artisan encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smoothes with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved. 8  But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9  you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off"; 10  do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah’s words come at a time when the Persian King Cyrus is growing in political power. Shortly after 550 b.c., Cyrus was able to unify the Medes and the Persians and to defeat the powerful kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. Then in 539 he turned south to conquer Babylon. The Israelites are afraid, because “He delivers up nations to him, and tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow “. Some make plans to create a protective magical figure: “The artisan encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smoothes with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved”.

In the light of this Isaiah asks the rhetorical question: Who has roused a victor from the east, summoned him to his service?”  Isaiah says that Cyrus’s ascendency is no accident “Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, am first, and will be with the last.”  God is behind all this – and will continue to be in world events until “the last”. We discover these words again in a much later period, when the writer of Revelation describes Jesus as the “first and the last” (Revelation 1:17 and 22:13). 

The Creator of our world does not stand outside of history watching humanity drive ourselves to destruction. Instead, God is active within history, using those people who would follow Godly ways. The choice we face is quite simple: either we complain about everything that is wrong – or we become part of God’s work of bringing light into the darkness. I choose to be part of the solution.

Prayer for today

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Psalm 44:

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.

1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us,

what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:

2  you with your own hand drove out the nations,

but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;

3  for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory;

but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.

4  You are my King and my God;

you command victories for Jacob.

5  Through you we push down our foes;

through your name we tread down our assailants.

6  For not in my bow do I trust,

nor can my sword save me.

7  But you have saved us from our foes,

and have put to confusion those who hate us.

8  In God we have boasted continually,

and we will give thanks to your name forever. [Selah]

This praise song, attributed to the sons of Korah, celebrates the activity of God in their lives, and responds with a commitment (vow) to “give thanks to your name forever”.  . Beware of the temptation to treat God as our service-provider whose sole task is to provide us with good things in life. This psalm can become a prayerful reminder to live in an awareness of the unmerited blessings shown us by our Creator

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.