Daily Devotions for the Year by Willard (Bill) Spencer
February 1 - Matthew 21:23-27
Jesus was teaching in the courts of the temple. The people heard him gladly. The Chief Priests and Elders interrupted his teaching to challenge him. They asked him by whose authority he taught and healed. It is not a surprise that they asked, considering all the amazing things he had done. The surprise is that they had to ask. Jesus' response placed them in a dilemma. If they acknowledged that John the Baptist was a prophet sent from God, then they also acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah; for John had clearly said that. If they said that John was just a fraud, then they would face the distrust of the people, who considered John a prophet. They chose silence. "We do not know," they said. It was their job to know. They were the leaders of the highest religious body in the land. They chose expediency over truth, when truth in the flesh stood right in front of them. They chose what was "best" for them over what was right. May we have the courage to choose rightly in such an instance.
February 2 - Matthew 22:23-33
The Sadducees were the last of the religious groups that challenged Jesus in the temple. They were aristocratic, wealthy, willing to allow the Romans to rule, if not actually accept them. They were very open about life, but they claimed to be strict about scripture. They believed only in the first five books of the Old Testament. If a thing could not be found there it was not to be observed or believed. Though this appeared to be strict, it actually meant that they had more latitude to decide what they wanted. Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection from the dead. Jesus met them head on. Told them they did not know the scriptures. Showed them proof of resurrection in the books of Moses. Their reasoned, elitist excuses could not stand the light of judgment. Do we use excuses to do what we want to do? Yes, of course. It is very human. It is also very dangerous. Excuses will not stand in the judgment.
February 3 - Exodus 18:1-12
This is the story of a reunion. Moses wife had remained with her father during the time of danger. Now they were to be reunited. Jethro, a priest in Midian, was to rejoice in the good things God had done for the people of Israel. He offered a sacrifice to God, and all the elders of Israel ate bread in the presence of God. That action rings all kinds of bells for the Christian. For us eating bread in the presence of God certainly means Holy Communion. Communion recalls Christ's sacrifice. The bread broken and the cup given are our heavenly food. We feast on the manna of Christ. We eat and sing and pray. We remember Christ's love for us. We are spiritually reunited with him in the sacrament. We sing, "You satisfy the hungry heart with gifts of finest wheat. Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat." A high and holy time, communion. It was a blessed reunion for Moses and his family that prompts these thoughts.
February 4 - Exodus 20:1-17
Today's reading is the complete text of the Ten Commandments. They were given to Moses and the people of Israel assembled at Mount Sinai. The mountain was covered with smoke because the Lord descended upon it. The sound of the trumpet was heard. The people remained at a distance while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. Then God spoke all these words. These are laws to be obeyed. Note that they are rooted in loving action...God rescued us from slavery in the land of Egypt. Our obedience is in response to God's love, God's saving grace, shown in the Exodus from Egypt, and most completely in the salvation given us in Christ Jesus. Jesus saves us from our selves and our sins. So with joy we read and keep these words. Note that the first four are about relation to God. The last six are about relations with other people. The last is interior. It is an attitude, a spirit. Read. Remember. Rejoice.
February 5 - Psalm 29:1-11
Sirion is the Sidonian name for Mount Hermon. It stands at the southern end of the Lebanon range of mountains. Almost ten thousand feet high, it is the major landmark in the area. Traditionally it constitutes the northern border of Israel. This is one location referred to in this Psalm. The other is the wilderness of Kadesh (meaning "be holy") in the extreme south end of Israel. It is a Psalm of praise. The mighty hosts of the Lord are called upon to give glory to God, to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Next the Psalm follows the pattern of a storm moving from north to south. God is like the storm, a storm of power. He causes the oaks to whirl. In the temple, the worshiping community recognizes that in the storm creation worships the creator, and the people join in this worship, crying "Glory!" Nature is marvelous, but nature can remind us of God only if we are a part of that worshiping community. We can best enjoy nature when we love nature's creator.
February 6 - Matthew 24:32-36
Chapter twenty-four paints word pictures of the suffering that would occur when Jerusalem was demolished by the Romans in 70 A.D. It also offers pictures of the end of time. Suffering and strange signs in the sky mark both. When Jerusalem fell the suffering was truly terrible. The end times will be like that...much suffering...with God's people rescued from the ruin. Note, in verse 36, that no one knows the day or the hour. Note also the often-misunderstood verse 33. Some have called this an error in scripture, reading "this" generation as the one alive when Jesus spoke. Actually the generation referred to is the one present at the fall of Jerusalem, and the one which will be present at the end of times. The scripture is true, not erroneous.
February 7 - Psalm 31:1-8
It was the bed time prayer of every Hebrew child. We teach our little ones, "Now I lay me down to sleep...". The Jewish child learned, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Then the child would close his eyes in sleep, certain of the morning light. This simple prayer was the one Jesus offered as he was dying on the cross. With the same certain, child-like faith, Jesus turned to his Father and prayed. He was to close his eyes certain of awakening to new life. It is a prayer we should remember for all our older loved ones; a prayer for services of death and resurrection; a prayer for us to pray throughout life.
February 8 - Matthew 25:31-46
This famous passage contains the memorable words, "Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me." These are words of faith for every day. We should treat the other person as if the other were Christ himself. In the last days this is the standard for judgment. Note that this standard applies to people who have not heard about Christ directly. Verse 32 mentions "All the nations." These are people who have not heard. How will they be judged? Would it be fair to judge them adversely if they had never heard the gospel? This passage of scripture is an answer. If they live as if they have faith in Christ, then they will be accepted. Those who have heard the gospel will be in church working for the kingdom. Those who have never heard, but who act like they have, will be included in the kingdom. Is that the way you read that passage? Think about it.
February 9 - Matthew 26:36-46
This passage describes the "agony in the garden." It is certainly true that Jesus was in deep distress. He knew what was just ahead...arrest, trail, beatings, crucifixion. It is very important for us to see that Jesus truly struggles with a difficult decision. Was he to continue his chosen course, following the will of God, or was he to "weasel" out and save his own life? He chose the costly way. In the King James Version of the bible he is recorded as using the word "nevertheless." It is a great word. He was pulled in one way by his fears, but nevertheless he would be true to his divine goal. To stay true in the face of difficult days is a great test of faith. It takes some agony, and a great deal of prayer.
February 10 - Matthew 26:47-56
Jesus was betrayed into the hands of a mob. They came after him at night, in a secluded place. They were afraid to seize him in the temple for fear of starting a riot. At night they came, sneaking in the dark like predatory animals. Judas led them. He came to Jesus and identified him by a kiss on the cheek. Betrayed by a kiss. The only other place in the Bible which tells of anyone kissing Jesus is the account of the repentant woman who wept at his feet, kissing them and drying his feet with her hair. The disciples had been napping. One wonders if anything would have happened differently had they been awake and praying. Certainly Jesus would have had to go on to the death waiting him; but would the disciples have all deserted him? They all ran away. Perhaps had they been awake and praying they would not have fled. There are times to stay awake, to be alert, to bend our wills to fervent prayer. Then, perhaps, we would be ready for the crisis when it comes.
February 11 - Exodus 32:17-35
Talk about ups and downs. Someone said that life is like a merry go round...round and round, and up and down. That surely is an understatement if applied to what the Hebrews did. While Moses was upon the mountain of God they rebelled, confronted Aaron, and caused him to mold an idol for them. That he did so is remembered as his failure. That the people forgot the covenant so quickly is a deep-seated memory of the Hebrews (and the followers of the New Covenant), reminding them to be faithful to the Lord. Note that Moses pleads for them. Note the anger of God, shown when Moses seized the calf and, in a three-fold action, burned, ground and scattered it on the water. Then the people were given the water to drink, to see if they would survive. Their sins caused much grief. But God did not forsake them.
February 12 - Matthew 27:24-31
A picture of sorrow. It is filled with a tragic irony. Here is the King of Kings, the creator of all the worlds, the Lord, the chosen one, stripped and flogged and mocked. They put an old cast off piece of scarlet robe around him and pressed a crown of thorns into his forehead. Then they put a reed in his hand, a mock scepter. The word is often translated "staff," but the Greek is "Kalamos," which means a reed, a pen made from a reed, or a staff made from a reed. Whatever the translation the meaning is clear. The Lord who holds all the worlds in his hands is despised and rejected. He is the King with a reed. It is a great sorrow, and a great glory. The glory is that he chose this deathboundness so that we might have life. He took our places in the judgment, that you and I might have the amazing choice of life. Let your heart be touched by the King with a reed. He died for you.
February 13 - Matthew 27:32-37
This chapter tells the story of Jesus' crucifixion. It is filled with the tragic irony of an innocent person suffering a cruel death. It is also filled with the silent, suffering joy of a person accomplishing a great task. Jesus chose to be obedient to God, to meet death for the sake of others, and to defeat that great enemy. But this day focus on the real pain of flogging, carrying a wooden cross till collapsing, and then being nailed to it. Note also that others were caught up in his suffering, like Simon of Cyrene, a pilgrim from Africa. Remember the sign placed above his head. It was meant in grim jest. It spoke the truth...Jesus was, and is, the King. Recall that the Chief Priests and others admitted that Jesus had saved others, though they could hardly have realized that when they screamed their taunts. (See verse 42.) Remember this day how much Jesus really suffered for you. It is a cleansing memory.
February 14 - Matthew 28:1-20
This chapter is the record of the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. It begins in the mist of early morning. The darkness still gripped the hills. Then there appeared a sudden brilliance, brighter than the radiance of the rising sun. The angel of God shook the earth and the sealed stone covering the tomb rolled away. The two Marys watched and rejoiced to hear that Jesus was alive. Surely they cried. Surely they laughed. Death could not hold him. Their weeping and laughing are still heard all these centuries later. They are for us. They are ours. Weeping and rejoicing we face the dawn. It is sunrise. The night has ended. Death and the grave will never be the same. He is risen. Note also in this chapter Jesus' charge to the followers, to go into all the world, baptizing, teaching, bearing the good news of God's love. And he will be with us, always.
February 15 - Mark 1:1-13
Right from the beginning we are told who Jesus is...The Christ, God's chosen, the messiah. He is also the Son of God. No equivocations, no hedges, just an open confession of who Jesus is! John the Baptist's revival and Jesus' baptism in the water of the Jordan are revealed in terse, powerful prose. We quickly learn who Jesus is and how he began his journey on those straight paths. One less obvious but very interesting detail, revealed by this passage, is that after the temptation in the wilderness angels and the wild animals comforted Jesus. I have come across seventeen references to wild beasts in the Old Testament. Job 5:23 speaks of a time when the stones of the field and the wild beasts shall be at peace with people. In the Prophet Isaiah we find this expanded to a vision of different kinds of animals living in peace...the wolf, the lamb, the lion (Isaiah 11:6-9). Jesus can tame the wild beasts in any day, in any person. Think about it.
February 16 - Mark 1:40-45
A leper was forbidden to speak with a non-leper. Here is a bold leper taking a leap of faith, talking to someone not afflicted. His great need drove his great faith. Jesus responded not just to the need, but the faith of the leper. In his reply Jesus not only talked with the leper, a socially unacceptable action, but he touched him. It is a powerful action. He touched the untouchable. That terrible disease can create visual barriers to touch that can be called "Gruesome". Yet Jesus leaped over the barriers to answer the faith of one who believed. A Methodist bishop of an earlier day once visited a leper colony. He participated in serving communion to the disfigured lepers. He recalled that the hymn they sang as they came to receive the sacrament was "O Happy Day." Only the power of Jesus could cause a leper to sing "O Happy Day." That power is still available. It can touch you. You can touch those in need.
February 17 - Mark 3:13-17
Sinners! We are sinners. The church is the only societal grouping that requires, as a condition of admission to membership, that a person admits being a sinner. An old country preacher used to say that the church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints. There is much truth in that. The church is a place of joy, for joy is the basic goal of the kingdom. It is a place where people can find acceptance and self-esteem. Church is a positive place. The Pharisees, who questioned Jesus about eating with sinners, were just as much in need of love and forgiveness as the tax collectors. They knew they were in need. They could have found great help from Jesus if they had not been so offended by Jesus helping others. Does helping the poor and the outcast of our day bother you?
February 18 - Psalm 37
This is a great Psalm. It is not filled with lyric poetry. It is not the development of a great idea. It is a great collection of practical advice for everyday living. It is written for days when everything seems to go wrong, or when everyone seems to be after you. Read it on days of little sunshine, when gloom gathers as a fog among the hills, obscuring the view as well as the light. The verses are grouped into twenty-two short stanzas, each beginning with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. You could almost put each stanza on a separate three by five card and read one a day, a verbal medicine for gloomy days. Take as needed.
February 19 - Mark 3:31-35
They had heard of his great miracles. They had heard of the growing opposition of the leaders. These were the motivating factors that brought Jesus' family to see him. Jesus was inside, teaching a group of people. His family sent a message to tell him of their presence. The message was that his mother and brothers were outside, looking for him. Here is a family fearing for the life of their loved one. Had he not sustained one attempt on his life already? Who was to know when one would succeed? His family came to protect him. Jesus' answer does not mean that his affection for his family had lessened. That he was concerned for his mother when he was dying on the cross contradicts that supposition. No, here Jesus is telling his kin folks, and us, that there are times when a person is called to risk life and limb for the heavenly Father, to do God's will in face of grave consequences. And the claim is to all...to the crowd seated at his feet. They too were children of the heavenly Father. They too were Jesus' brothers and sisters and parents.
February 20 - Mark 4:26-29
What is the Kingdom of God like? It is like a gardener planting seeds. He scatters them over the land, or sets them carefully in rows. He plants. Then he goes back to his other occupations. Many days and nights pass. The seeds begin to sprout, on their own. They break through the darkened ground and push toward the sun. The plant grows and gains height. As with corn, first the blade grows, and then the ear. Last of all the full grain matures in the harvest season. So it is with the Kingdom. We sew seeds. We wait and work and pray. The growth comes. Sometimes it is a long time in coming. There are many days from planting to harvest. There are storms and hails, droughts and diseases, but the harvest will come. There will be a harvest. Isn't that good news? There will be a harvest. Repeat it. It is a great gospel truth.
February 21 - Mark 5:21-43
A miracle within a miracle is recorded here. A complexity of miracles! Could that be so for us? Is there a second miracle taking place for us while we wait for a different one? Watch for the miracle that is going on now. Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue. The synagogues were being closed to Jesus. He was facing strict opposition. It was a daring thing for Jairus to come to Jesus and ask for help. His need drove him to it. When we know our needs we look for Jesus. We let nothing stop us. Jesus responded to that faith and sought out his little daughter. Notice that those who had gathered in the house laughed at Jesus. It is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. Jesus was not turned away by their doubts. He touched and spoke and the little one heard. Christ brings new life with him. It is as much a miracle to save us from our sins as it is to waken the dead.
February 22 - Mark 6:1-6
These opening verses of the wonderful sixth chapter of Mark show a shadow upon the life of the Master. It was a time when people who should have recognized the Chosen One failed to do so. It must have been disappointing, if not surprising, that Jesus was not accepted in his own home town. They knew the family. "Isn't this Mary's boy?" "Look at his brothers." "Didn't he have a carpenters shop up on the hill?" With such words they dismissed the claims of Jesus. They placed barriers of familiarity between themselves and their Savior. Does that happen in our day? "I've been to church. It is full of hypocrites." "I was made to go to church when I was little." "They aren't any better than I am." "We should stay home and take care of our kids." "They're just after my money." Heard those lines before? They could have come from Nazareth. The might come from any city.
February 23 - Mark 6:30-44
Jesus is looking for a little peace and quiet. They are not to be found this day. The crowd runs ahead of his boat and waits for him when he reaches the shore. He did not turn them away, but spent the whole day teaching them. Jesus always found time for people. At evening the disciples suggested that Jesus send the crowds away. Jesus tells the disciples to feed them. The disciples protest that it would take eight months of a person's wages to feed such a crowd. Jesus asks them what they have. All they could produce is five small barley loaves and two small fishes. Yet from that small amount Jesus feeds the multitude, and there is much left over. Remember that Jesus takes what little we have, what little we bring to him and blesses it, multiplies it, until it is more than enough. Bring what you have to offer. Bring it to Jesus. He is all that ever he was.
February 24 - Leviticus 16:1-34
This chapter in the Old Testament book of Leviticus seems puzzling to us. It tells of the sacrificial killing of a bull, a goat, a ram, and sending a living goat into the wilderness. It speaks of sprinkling blood on and before the Ark of the Covenant, and this is repeated on and in front of the altar. But for the Jewish people this was the most important of religious days, the Day of Atonement. It was on this day that the High Priest could enter the holiest place and offer sacrifice for the sins of all the people. Jewish people still observe the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). It is usually late in September or early in October. The sacrifice of Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, who gave his life for us, made the sacrificing of animals no longer necessary. The New Testament fulfilled the Old. We believe in the effectiveness of Christ's sacrifice for sin. He died for us. Think about it.
February 25 - Mark 7:24-37
Jesus went into that land we know as Lebanon, which has suffered so much from civil war in our own time. Near the sea coast town of Tyre he was approached by a mother who pled for her demon possessed daughter. Jesus listened to the mother's prayer. Note that the woman was a Greek. Jesus questioned her about children and dogs, an indirect way of speaking about her faith. Did she believe in the God of Israel? Would she be open to the possibility of such a cure? Her reply pleased the Lord and he granted her request. It is a wonderful truth that Jesus crossed boundaries to help people. He knew no state lines. He seeks a willingness to believe. Can you believe in Jesus? There is help available. Demons can be cast out. Life can be given new meaning and purpose. There is always hope. There is always change, even for those considered, by some, as outcasts. A parents prayer can change things.
February 26 - Mark 8:22-26
Do you have to squint your eyes a bit when you wake up in the morning? It takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust to the light of dawn? Can you imagine what it must be like for one who has lived in the "ever-during dark" of blindness to suddenly receive the light? It must be a terrifying, painful experience. So in Bethsaida (which means, "house of fish") Jesus gradually restores a persons vision. The light pierced that man's deep darkness. He saw, but without clarity, a darkness still hovering before his eyes. Then a second touch and the mist cleared away. And before his newly seeing eyes appeared the light of the world...no, no, not the sunshine, but the Christ, the master of life and light. What a wonder to awake to that vision any day. O to have our own partial blindness swept away, our true vision restored, and to clearly see the Christ! Such blessedness awaits our seeking.
February 27 - Mark 9:1-9
Verse one states that some of those with Jesus would not taste death until they saw the Kingdom of God come with power. Critics have mistakenly thought that this was an error, for they say that all those who were with Jesus died and the Kingdom has not come. So they think that the Bible has an error. Actually, verse one refers to the events of verses two through nine. On the mountain Jesus was transfigured. He was seen as he is in his own Kingdom. Moses and Elijah, long departed, appeared alive, as they are in glory, and gave honor to Jesus. Jesus was not only the completion of their labors, but their Lord and King. The light on Jesus' face is the light of heaven. God is light...not reflected light, but self-generating light. That brightness was like the morning sun on a summer day reflecting on highly polished metal. It was a glorious foretaste of the Kingdom. This passage in Mark brings that glory to our sight. You may taste and see that the Lord is good.
February 28 - Mark 9:49-50
Salt sayings. We are told to avoid it. It is "bad" for us. But food is less tasty without it. We produce substitutes, but they are "salt" substitutes. It is the ancient symbol for something seasoned, rich, good. Also, in ancient times, salt was the only way to purify and preserve meats. Fish from the Sea of Galilee were dried and salted. To salt is to season. It is also to purify and preserve. Salt adds zest to food. A salted life is a zest filled life. Salt that has lost its flavor is indeed worth nothing; but is it possible for salt to loose its flavor? Is an unsalted salt a logical possibility? Perhaps not. But a life that has lost its zest is certainly possible. It is also possible for a life to be renewed, find new salt, new zest. With faith in Christ it is possible to have salt within us and be at peace with each other. Being salted with fire refers to a time of persecution of Christians. It is possible today to be bashed for being a Christian. This can be a purifying experience for us.
March 1 - Mark 10:13-16
Everyone likes a baby. Hardly anyone can pass up the chance to touch a new born. Few things in this life bring smiles like those seen on the faces of people looking at a parent holding a baby. Grandparents are bearers of albums of pictures, the latest images of their grandchildren. The great joy exhibited about such youngsters is a source of continual amazement. Yet it is very logical and expected. Babies remind us of something. What is it? Our own beginnings? The possibility of new life? The memory of a paradisal innocence? I suspect that our souls do not age like our bodies. Someone wrote a book called "No Wrinkles On the Soul." We may be child-like regardless of our calendar age. Remember, Jesus loves each of us in the same way he loves the little ones in this passage of scripture.
March 2, Mark 10:32-34
The disciples were astonished. The followers were afraid. (See verse 32.) Jesus was going to Jerusalem. Of course it was a requirement to go to the feast of Passover, but the religious leaders were distrustful, angry. It was dangerous. Perhaps the main sentiment of the group could have been expressed by the statement: "Let's lay low for awhile." Did Jesus smile at that? Did he shake his head, perhaps give a bit of laughter? He took them aside quietly, sat them down, and spoke directly to them. He said that they were going to Jerusalem. In that Holy city the Son of Man would be betrayed, condemned, mocked, and killed. This was the third time that he had told them this, but the shock of it still was strong enough to cause them, in all likelihood, to miss the last thing he said. He said that he would rise three days later. So, he was committed to a costly journey. It is the example to every Christian of the necessity of remaining true to God on every journey, at any cost. It is also a reminder not to miss the last line of Jesus' word.
March 3 - Mark 11:1-11
In the book of the prophet Zechariah, chapter 9, verse 9, we find these words: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion...behold, thy King comes unto thee...lowly, riding upon a donkey." So the Jews expected a King riding a donkey. Jesus made such a claim when he rode into Jerusalem that day. It was a claim to be king. But the king was not riding a war horse, leading soldiers armed with swords. His followers were carrying palm branches and shouting songs of praise. Here was the king from the line of David. Here was the one who was to restore the kingdom. It was a great offer to Jerusalem. Jesus proclaimed openly who he was...the peaceful king. The temple was inspected...the house viewed by its true owner. Would they respond? Would they accept him, the king? Palm Sunday always has a bittersweet tone in the scripture; for even though the truth was proclaimed to them, it was rejected by the people who should have known the king.
March 4 - Mark 12:1-12
They were in Jerusalem, in the temple, and all the opposition groups were seeking to discredit him. In the midst of their challenges he told them this parable. It is about one who owns a vineyard. The vineyard belongs to him. His is the land and the produce. He chose to lease the land for a portion of the produce. The tenants settled in the vineyard, worked the land, brought the vines to produce fruit. Instead of paying their just debt they refused. They beat the representatives of the owner and sent them away. After a long time of patient waiting the owner sends his son, his "last arrow." Instead of repenting and giving the owner his due, they killed the son and threw his body out of the vineyard. What was left to do but come against them with force, cast them out, and give the vineyard to others. The leaders of the opposition groups got the message clearly. They had claimed that which was not theirs. They were to be judged. But even then they did not repent, rather, they sought ways to kill him. They would go to any lengths to hold on to sin.
March 5 - Numbers 4:1-16
The church season prior to Easter is called Lent. The name comes from an old English word which means "lengthen," and refers to the longer days of late winter. Purple is the color of Lent. While pagan culture is thinking of green grass or pink Easter bunnies, the church places purple cloths on its altars. In the Old Testament book of Numbers (4:13) instructions for moving the altar of sacrifice include covering it with a purple cloth. This ancient command from the Lord reminds us of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Also, purple is the color worn by kings. When we see purple on the altars of churches observing Lent we should remember Jesus, the pure Lamb of God, both sacrifice and King.
March 6 - Mark 12:41-44
There were thirteen trumpet shaped boxes for offerings set up in one of the temple courts. Some wealthy folks liked to go there often, and, with fanfare and flourish, place offerings in each box. People would notice and nod their heads. The rich received their reward. Jesus noticed the unremarkable, almost unseen gift of an obscure, ordinary widow. She put in two "mites," the least of coins. Yet she received Jesus' praise. He commended her because she did not give for show, to impress others. Quietly she made her gift. He commended her because she threw in all she could, instead of the surplus gifts of the rich. It cost her to give. She will be remembered as long as time endures for her quiet, holy, trusting gift. Jesus still notices the ordinary person who brings to God what he or she has in money, time, talent.
March 7 - Mark 13:14-37
The Jews divided time into two parts: The present age and the age to come. The present age was seen as corrupt, evil, crying out for redemption. The age to come was the golden age, the time of the Messiah, when Israel would be restored. There were many visions of that restoration. Some thought in terms of a military triumph over Rome, with temple worship strengthened and the monarchy of David's heirs restored. This reading in Mark gives us word pictures of the ending of the present age and the beginning of the new time. The old would be destroyed. Through a time of suffering a new beginning would be made. Jesus' picture of the age to come is different than the military picture held by many in that day. Jesus was the Messiah of peace, of forgiveness and wholeness. He is the beginning of the new age for all who believe.
March 8 - Psalm 51
He had come a long way from being the shepherd boy tending Jesse's flock near Bethlehem. He had slain Goliath of Gath with a sling and a stone. He had served in King Saul's court until the jealous ruler drove him away. In succession he had been a lad, a hero, a court singer, and a refugee. He was to be a general and, in the end, the King in Jerusalem. David was (and is) the model leader of the Jews. He left a united land, with borders expanded to encompass all the land from Dan to Beersheba. He left his writings, his songs, which we still "sing" as we read them in the Psalms. But David did not have a perfect life. He sinned against Uriah the Hittite, taking Bathsheba for his wife. He was to grieve for this sin. Perhaps it was during that grief that the great king wrote this Psalm of confession, repentance, renewal. Did God hear David? Does not God hear us?
March 9 - Numbers 13:1-33
This chapter is a part of the ancient record of the Hebrews wilderness journeys. Moses sends twelve spies to go into the land promised to the people. They were to ascertain whether the inhabitants were strong, and if crops could be grown there. One man from each of the twelve tribes was chosen. Twelve went into the promised land; only two of them were to return. The report said that the land was a land of milk and honey. Its fruit was plenteous, bountiful. Ten of the spies said that the people were strong, giants in size, unbeatable. They spread the word that they could not take the promised land. Two of the men, Caleb and Joshua, gave a different story. They said that though the people were strong, the Lord was stronger. Who could resist God Almighty? They urged the Jews to go immediately. If the people had listened and followed their advice, all would have seen the promised land. Their years of wandering in the wilderness would have been few. As it was, they did not believe, and the result was that God let them wander for forty years, until that whole group was dead. Only Caleb and Joshua entered into the promised land.
March 10 - Mark 14:53-72
Peter had to tell this story. No one else was around to witness it. This was a time Peter never forgot. It is a vivid, detailed record of his lowest hour. Notice in verse 54 that he sat with his face toward the fire. No one else could have recalled that detail. Peter remembered it with much sadness. In the light of that fire he was revealed for what he was. He was indeed a Galilean. He was a follower of the Christ, a member of the inner circle of leadership. But on that night it was also seen in the firelight that Peter was terribly afraid. His fear ruled him and he denied that he knew Jesus. Three times he spoke, the last time with curses and oaths. It was a terrible blow when the rooster crowed and he remembered that Jesus had predicted his denials. He wept bitterly. Have not we all wept over our sins? Have not we all felt the fear churning in our stomachs? His experience is repeated in our own lives. We deny the Christ and despair of our weakness. Remember that Peter came through. Remember, he alone, of all the apostles, dared to go into the courtyard. He was restored and became one of the great leaders of the early church. Failure need not be the end. Remember Peter.
March 11 - Mark 15:21-24
This sad chapter records the death of Jesus of Nazareth. From the decision of the leaders, made in the light of dawn, to the darkness that covered the land from the sixth to the ninth hour, we find the details of this sorry deed. One of the many details is that of the one who carried Jesus' cross. Weakened by the all night vigil, the arrest, the trial, the beatings, Jesus could not carry the heavy wooden burden. Simon, from Cyrene, in northern Africa, was pulled out of the crowd and ordered to bear the cross of Christ. This he did. It surely was not what he had expected of the day. He was, undoubtedly, one of the many pilgrims who had journeyed to Jerusalem for the Passover. If so, he expected a joyful, holy experience, a once in a lifetime event. It was to be so, but in an entirely different way. Life has its sudden turnings. We like to think that it did not leave him unaffected. Mark records the intriguing detail that Simon was the father of Rufus and Alexander. Does this detail mean that Simon and his sons found a new Passover in the true Lamb of God, offered on the cross that day? Possibly, for these shaping, unique events can set us on different, better journeys.
March 12 - Mark 16:1-7
Mark's gospel sings of Easter. The women assumed that he was dead. On the day of his death they made haste to place him in the tomb before the Sabbath day began. So, here, on the third day, they brought spices to anoint his dead body. Their faithful attention was rewarded with the greatest good news. The body was not there. The large stone covering the tomb had been rolled back. An angel waited for them. "He is not here. He has risen." Trembling and bewildered by the joy that was almost too much to believe, they left the tomb. They were to go on to see Jesus and become a strong part of the Easter people, the Christian movement. Here we find the elements of belief of the earliest church...Jesus, crucified and buried, died for our sins. He defeated death and arose. He is alive and active. He will be with you. Jesus and the resurrection were the main elements of early church belief. Add to that the command to tell all the world the good news, and you have the heart of the gospel. It is still good news today.
March 13 - Luke 1:1-4
This is the prologue to the Gospel of Luke. It is addressed to a person, Theophilus, which means "one who loves God." It identifies the gospel with Luke in a personal way. "I myself have carefully investigated everything." Thoroughly prepared, it is a record of the things which have been fulfilled, attested by eye witnesses. Throughout this passage of scripture we can hear cadences of certainty. This is not speculation. This is no compilation of opinions. Here is to be found no "maybe," no "perhaps." We find here the facts, the events, the truth. Luke writes to Theophilus in order that he may know "the certainty of the things that have been taught." There are always doubts creeping into our minds. We waver in our faith. We go up and down in our religious experience. But Luke assures us that regardless of our experiences or feelings there is a certainty in the gospel which surpasses the momentary, fragmentary nature of our lives. It is certain, even when we are not.
March 14 - Luke 1:46-55
This is the hymn of joy sung by Mary after she had learned that she was to be the mother of our Lord. The words are lovely in themselves, but they are filled with meanings which the words suggest. For one thing, this ancient hymn begins where it ought...giving glory to God. That is a good beginning for a hymn, a new venture, a troubling situation, or just the beginning of a new day. To magnify, to give glory to God, is a good place to start. Another thing to note in this song is Mary's statement, "...all generations will call me blessed." This could be mistaken for a boast. It is not. Mary spoke this with a voice tone of wonder. She was surprised. "Me? Could this be happening to me?" And in the next line she points to God as the source of this great surprise. A final note...This is a revolutionary song. We find that God scatters the proud, casts down the mighty, empties the rich. Elevated are the humble, the hungry. The powerful moral challenge of Christianity was visible from the very beginning.
March 15 - Numbers 22:21-35
The King of Moab was afraid of the Israelites. On their journey from Egypt to the promised land they had to pass through several countries. They offered to pass peacefully. Often they had to fight their way through. Sihon, King of the Amorites, was routed. So was Og, King of Bashan. It was probably normal for Balak, the Moabite king to be afraid. Balak sent for a seer named Balaam, who lived near the Euphrates River. They asked him to come and place the Israelites under a curse. The Lord God revealed to Balaam that the Israelites were the chosen people, they were to be blessed, not cursed. Balaam was in a bind. Summoned by Balak to curse them. Warned of God to bless them. What to do? He set out filled with uncertainty. The record of the donkey speaking tells us the means that God chose to reinforce his message to Balaam. It took awhile. The donkey could see what Balaam could not. It took a donkey speaking to get Balaam's attention. Some folks are a bit harder to reach. May we be much more open to the messages of the Lord than Balaam was.
March 16 - Luke 2:1-20
We may find ourselves wanting to sing for joy when we read these words. Tunes like "Joy to the World," run through our minds. Or the sweet appeal of "O Little Town of Bethlehem," fills us with a quiet joy. The familiar scenes flow through our minds...Mary, Joseph, Baby, manger, adoring shepherds...all stir deep memories. There is a wonderful painting of the birth of Jesus by a Dutch painter of the middle ages. The painting shows the stable in darkened, subdued tones. There is light on the faces of Mary and Joseph, but it is a reflected light. The source of the light is the manger, the child. It is as if some of the true light of heaven lingers on this newborn. His countenance glows. The true light was coming into the world. It is a wonderful picture. All the darkness in all the ages cannot put out the light of Jesus. Again songs break out in our minds. We want to sing, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king; let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing."
March 17 - Luke 2:41-52
They were faithful to their beliefs. Every year, they did not miss, they went up to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. When Jesus was twelve, the proper age for becoming a son of the law, he remained in Jerusalem though his family journeyed toward Nazareth. They did not miss him until the end of the day. He had been accustomed to journeying with family and friends each year. He was with cousins or neighbors, they would think. So he was not missed until the day was ending and families began to draw into their closest circles. Joseph and Mary searched for Jesus among the families journeying with them. When they could not find him they returned to Jerusalem. For three days they searched. On the third day they found Jesus in the temple, sitting among the teachers, asking and answering questions, amazing those gathered there. Little detail is given of the search for Jesus. It must have been a terrifying time. When they found him in the temple, he stated simply that he had been in the Father's house. He identified himself with the heavenly father clearly. But since he was twelve he went home to Nazareth, an obedient son.
March 18 - Numbers 26:62-65
This is the last section of the census, the "numbering," of the Israelites, before they crossed the Jordan River. Note that there were over six hundred thousand men in Israel. In this brief passage the male Levites, it is noted, number twenty three thousand. The census was taken by Moses and Eleazar (son of Aaron). The setting was the plain of Moab, just across the river from Jericho. Only three of the original census, made in the desert of Sinai, were left alive. Of these, Moses was to die east of Jordan. The Lord allowed him to see the promised land in the distance. The two who went into the promised land were Joshua, son of Nun, Moses' successor, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh. These were the two spies who urged the Israelites to go into the promised land. For their faithfulness they were rewarded by being allowed to enter. All the others died in the wilderness. Their grumbling had cost them the opportunity of entering the land. Grumbling has its costs.
March 19 - Luke 3:23-38
The detail in the first sentence leaps out toward you. He was thirty years of age when he began to minister. Joseph had died at an early age. Jesus was the oldest of the children. Faithful to his responsibilities, he worked in the carpenter shop until the younger children grew up. He carried on his father's work. Can you see him smoothing the yokes for oxen? Remember that his "yokes were easy." This came from the carpenter shop in Nazareth. There he learned to deal with the public, with pushy people, with gentle people, with sad and sorrowing people. He had experiences which teach one about the daily struggle of existence. Jesus was not born in a palace, insulated from the daily needs of people. He knew the struggle. The list of ancestors underscores his humanity. He was not a phantom. He was not a human-like being. He was a true human, with a history, with a family tree. Thus he could understand our daily burdens and joys.
March 20 - Luke 4:1-13
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit at his own baptism. It was the same spirit which led him into the wilderness. No one likes to spend time in the wilderness. We prefer other places...the garden, the park, the lake, etc. But we all have to spend some time in wildernesses. Jesus was there. Forty days he sojourned in that tortured mass of rock and stone, which shimmered like heat on a highway on a fierce summer day. There he faced the wiles of the devil. The temptations are familiar...physical satisfaction, power, pride. These we have all seen. When the next wave of temptation comes upon you remember that Jesus relied on the strength of his baptism, on the strength of the Word of God, and on his own conviction that he must not turn aside from the chosen way. It can be done. And when it is done there will be times of refreshing. St. Mark records that angels came and comforted him following the ordeal. There is a rainbow after the storm.
March 21 - Luke 5:1-11
The crowd pressed upon Jesus. He was teaching them by the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Two boats were nearby, so he asked permission from the owner of one to enter the boat, to push out from shore, and to teach the crowds from the boat. After his teaching was ended, he turned to the owner of the boat and asked him to "launch out," and "let down" the nets. The owner responded that they had already fished all night. They were tired out. They had caught nothing. Nothing is more discouraging to a fisherman than not to catch fish. But nothing stirs a fisherman more than the thought that just around the bend, in the next cove, fish are just waiting to be caught. The boat owner, Peter, said a wonderful thing to Jesus. He said, "But because you say so, I will let down the nets." The catch was marvelous and the catchers found a new vocation...catching people. It is a wondrous thing to respond to the call of Jesus, to get out of the shallows of life and into the deep, to put down your nets, even though you are weary and empty handed. A catch goes with the calling, and with the obeying. Think about it.
March 22 - Luke 5:17-26
They could not get to Jesus. The crowd blocked the doors, the windows, every entry. But these men would not be deterred in their quest to find the Lord. There were four of them and they carried another person, a paralyzed man. Up to the roof they went, separated the roof tiles and lowered their paralyzed friend through the hole in the roof. It was bold. It was daring. The four friends showed much faith. The paralyzed man had to believe strongly to allow himself to be lowered through a hole in a roof. Jesus marveled at "their" faith and pronounced the man's sins forgiven...a clue to a need deeper than the paralysis. When challenged about forgiving sins..."Who can forgive sins but God?"...he replied that the Son of man could forgive sins and heal diseases. It was a direct reply. He commanded the man to stand up. What a feeling it must have been, to find power rushing into the previously feeble legs. How the paralytic must have marveled at the power of the Lord. He arose, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. And everyone there was amazed. Amazement before Jesus is the proper posture of every person.
March 23 - Luke 6:6-11
I guess it will always be something of a puzzle. Why did the scribes and pharisees oppose healing on the sabbath so vehemently? I can understand on a rational level. Their intent was to prepare for the Messiah. They wanted to keep every law. They wanted all the Jews to be observant of the law. It was their hope that the political decisions made would reflect their expectations of the Messiah. In terms of morality, they were actually better behaved than most of the populace. They read the scriptures. So I can understand a bit; but there is a part of my mind that simply cannot understand why they were opposed to something that seems so positive, so loving. Jesus did not heal to provoke the pharisees. He helped people. Yes, yes, religion is much more than helping people. It is to love God with all your heart and soul, with your mind and strength. It is to worship and read the Bible and pray. It is also to extend to others the forgiveness and acceptance you have received from God. I suppose that this will always be a puzzle.
March 24 - Luke 6:12-38
This is one of those passages that is "too big" for a brief comment. Book after book has been written concerning these verses. Some passages are worthy of extra study, prayer, and mental struggle. It is certainly true of this passage. We find here the naming of the apostles after an all night prayer session. Here is the teaching on the "plain," to a large group of followers, and others from as far away as Tyre and Sidon (non-Jewish territory). Four "blessings" are poetically balanced against four "woes." Love your enemies is here. Turn the other cheek is here. The golden rule is found in verse thirty one. We memorized it as children. Do we teach our children this basic ethical principle? The "do nots," judge and condemn, are balanced with the commandments to forgive and give. We are reminded that the measure we use will be the measure used on us. The teaching on the plain continues on through verse forty nine. These living words deserve reading, reading again, much thought and prayer.
March 25 - Luke 7:1-10
The centurions were the heart of the Roman Army. They had risen through the ranks to a position of leadership. They received no rank through favors or position in society. They were the tested leaders. Isn't it interesting that this centurion became attached to a Jewish synagogue? The elders of the synagogue recommended him to Jesus. "He is one who loves our nation," they said. It is also interesting that the elders would seek out Jesus. Opposition was beginning to crystallize against him. It would take some courage to seek Jesus in face of this opposition. Then there is the centurion himself, most interesting of all. He had heard of Jesus. He submitted to his authority. He stated that he believed that whatever Jesus commanded would be done. His friends carried the message for him. He felt himself unworthy to come. Jesus was amazed. How many times is it recorded that Jesus was amazed? Here was great faith, in a non-Jew, in a Roman soldier. The servant was healed.
March 26 - Luke 7:11-17
Nain was a small Galilean town between Endor and Shunem, on the north west slope of the Hill of Moreh. It is a beautiful setting for an unusual story. Jesus was accompanied by his disciples and, Luke adds the detail, also a large crowd. Many many people walked down that dusty road that day. They stopped at the cemetery just outside of Nain. Exiting the city was a funeral procession. The deceased was a young man, the only son of his widowed mother. The depth of this tragedy is underscored by another detail. Luke tells us that most of the town came with her. It was a death that had touched many people. What was it that caused Jesus to stop the funeral procession? The word Luke uses in reply is "compassion." It is the strongest word in the Greek language for deep feelings of mercy. That word is the opposite of "apathy," a word used by some thinkers of that day. Those thinkers urged people to eliminate emotional thinking, remove deep concerns, avoid becoming deeply enmeshed with any human situation. "If you don't care you don't suffer," was their motto. Note that Jesus adopts the opposite view, that we should care for people and their situations. Jesus cared for people deeply and so he intervened, and still does in the deathboundness of our days.
March 27 - Luke 8:1-3
Jesus traveled about from town to town, an itinerant preacher proclaiming the new time of God's Kingdom. Notice the picture these verses paint: Jesus preaching, the twelve apostles at his side, and a group of devoted women who supported Jesus with their gifts. It is also interesting to note that within the group is an amazing diversity. Among the apostles we find a zealot, the group of militant Jews who wanted to overthrow the Romans, and a tax collector, who levied and collected taxes from the Jews to give to Rome. Jesus could bring together diverse people. Among the women we find another possible diversity. If the seven demons being cast out of Mary Magdalene indicates a terrible past filled with dark deeds, and if the life of Joanna was typical of the group she represented, then we can see a striking contrast there. Steward, the word used for Herod's manager, usually means one in charge of all the investments, a powerful position. So even in the beginning of the church we see that there was room and acceptance for all kinds of people. It is still true.
March 28 - Psalm 69:19-36
This is a bittersweet song. Undoubtedly it was sung by those who were conquered, exiled in a foreign land, oppressed by a foreign power. "We are scorned. We are disgraced. We are shamed>" How? By the "enemies." This is a sad song of a broken people. Does the old spiritual "I've Been 'Buked and I've Been Scorned" come from this Psalm? It calls out for mercy on the poor and needy people. It cries for judgment on the wicked oppressor. We hear in it our own cries on those days when we seem to be oppressed by powers greater than we can challenge, by untouchable force or fate. When we feel helpless, this is our song. Verses thirty and thirty four point in a positive direction. God will accept praise instead of a burnt offering. God will accept what we have to bring, the offerings of our hearts. Even the skies and seas, the earth and trees sing God's praises. So should we, even on the days when it is difficult to understand why. We may always praise God, even when our circumstances do not.
March 29 - Luke 8:22-25
Have you ever been on a lake during a storm? If you have you will always remember the fear (Should I say, "terror"?) you felt as you were pummeled by rain, rocked by wind and wave. It is an unforgettable experience. A squall quickly enveloped the apostles as they sailed across the lake. Jesus was asleep. Exhausted, he was not roused by the first blasts of the storm. In a panic they woke him saying, "Master, master, do you not care that we perish?" And he arose and rebuked the wind and wave. And there was a great calm. Remember Psalm 65..."You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth...who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves." The Psalm is an answer to their question, "Who then is this that commands even the winds and waves, and they obey him?" He is the one to whom we can (and may) cry out to in the squalls of life. He is our God and savior. He commands the seas. When he speaks the storm subsides. It happens today.
March 30 - Luke 8:43-48
These verses tell the story of a miracle within a miracle. Jesus was on his way to the home of Jairus, a ruler of a synagogue, who, in the face of rising opposition asked Jesus to come and heal his only daughter. Jesus was on his way to do so when another miracle occurred. He was walking along in the midst of a large crowd when he stopped suddenly. He asked a rather odd question. "Who touched me?" The vocal disciple, Peter, said that they were in the middle of a great crowd, of course someone touched him. Jesus responded with words that indicated that he recognized someone in great need. He looked around and immediately saw the woman. She came to Jesus, trembling with fear, and her story came tumbling out. She had been ill for a dozen years. She had spent all her money seeking cures. She was desperate. She believed in him. She felt that she had been healed when she touched the hem of his garment. It was a gesture of family recognition. Usually only family could touch the tassels on the hem of ones garment. Jesus smiled. Surely she was one of God's family. His words confirmed her faith and her healing. Our deepest needs send us to God, who takes us into his own family. What a wonderful story.
March 31 - Luke 9:18-22
The basic truth of this scripture lesson is to be found on the front of the altar of Mexico United Methodist Church, Mexico, Missouri. The basic symbol is a cross with equal extensions. In the upper left space is the Greek abbreviation of Jesus. In the upper right space is the Greek abbreviation for Christ. In the lower spaces you find the Greek word for conquers. The whole symbol means, "Jesus Christ conquers through the cross." In a quiet place in the hills Jesus gathered his closest followers. He asked them who other people thought he was. Then he asked them what they thought. Had they really seen who he was? Did they understand the extent of his claims upon them and the people? Peter's answer told him that they did. They saw him as the Christ, the chosen one, the Messiah. Then he could tell them the means by which he was to redeem the people. It was through suffering. This was not what they expected, not what they wanted, but it is the secret of the Christian message. There is power in suffering offered to God. It can conquer. It can redeem. Christ's willingness to suffer in place of others is his conquering power. We are rescued by that choice.
April 1 - Deuteronomy 18:9-22
Deuteronomy is the last of the five books of the law. They are the first five books of the Bible, written by Moses. In this book Moses and the Israelites have come to the outskirts of the promised land, after forty years of journeying in the wilderness. Moses is given a glimpse of that land. He was not to "cross over" the river into the land, so he gathered the people together and gave them a summary of the law by which they were to live in the new land. This particular passage is the one which prohibits child sacrifice, sorcery, witchcraft, spiritualism, astrology, consulting the dead, and such. These prohibitions give us a picture of what was expected of the Hebrews. They also give us a picture of the kind of culture they were to find among the people already living in Palestine. They were going into the midst of a strange people, with strange gods. There were detestable practices allowed there. These things are still forbidden to Hebrews and to Christians. We often find ourselves in the midst of a culture of strange gods, secular gods, and detestable practices. It is a very modern warning.
April 2 - Luke 9:57-62
When was the last time you got caught up in the excitement of a cause. There was a goal, a leader, a momentum toward an end. So you did that which you might not normally do...volunteer. It seemed like the only thing at the time. Later you began to wonder if you signed any kind of written contract. Second thoughts came rushing in. "Is this something I really want to be involved in? I've already got a full schedule of things to do. There is some risk in this. Do I want in? Is there some way out?" We have all been there. In this scripture we read about three people who were caught up in the preaching of the gospel, then began to have second thoughts. The first said that he would certainly go, but he must have guarantee of decent accommodations. The second said that he was ready, but he must take care of family matters first. The third was also ready but he wanted to go back to the good old days and bring the past with him in the future. None of them followed Jesus. They got out of it. We remember them this day because they missed the key opportunity of life.
April 3 - Luke 10:30-37
A proud man once asked Jesus about eternal life. Jesus referred him to the Bible. "What is written in the law?" The man replied well, quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5. He added, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus agreed and added, "Do this and you will live." But the proud man wanted a compliment from Jesus, so he pressed further: "And who is my neighbor?" Then Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan. It is a wonderful story. It teaches us not to spend time deciding who is worthy to be our neighbor, but to be neighborly, showing mercy where needed. The proud man did not get what he wanted, but what he needed most...a positive direction for his life.
April 4 - Luke 11:5-10
Everyone slept in the same room. There were no separate bed rooms for the average family. The family slept on a low platform, raised above the floor. When a person came to the door late at night asking for bread it wakened everyone. To get up a person would have to step over everyone and everything. There were no night lights. So it was a great imposition, but in order to get back to sleep one would probably do it. How different it is when we ask God for something. If a grumpy, sleepy householder would finally get up to help a friend at midnight, how much more readily would a loving heavenly Father be willing to help any one of his children. He would not have to be cajoled or humored or shamed. He would gladly respond. Just ask, knock, and receive.
April 5 - Psalm 77
Here is a song of thanksgiving after suffering has ended. In verse one the Psalmist sets the stage. He cries to God who hears him. In verses two through nine he remembers the darkness of his time of suffering. He is also recalling the past suffering of his people. These verses are a song we all have sung during difficult times when our spirits grew faint, our hearts refused to be comforted. Where is God? Why am I suffering? Is there no help? Next the Psalmist remembers God's help in the past. He remembers the mighty miracle of choosing Israel and rescuing her from slavery in Egypt. God is almighty. God acts for his people. So the Psalmist counts his blessings (verses ten through fifteen). In verses sixteen through nineteen we see God conquering chaos, bringing order to the restless sea. God is the powerful storm which divided the sea, made a path for the chosen people to escape their bondage. God makes a way. God leads his flock. It is a wonderful message for you and me in our times of struggle.
April 6 - Luke 11:45-54
This section of Luke is a teaching section. It refers to those who interpreted religion in terms of rules, lots of rules, little rules. In verses forty five through fifty four Jesus chastises the scribes, the professional teachers of the law. One of their little rules was that you could not tie a knot on the Sabbath, for that would be to work and working was forbidden on the Sabbath. If they had stopped there we probably could understand that rule and perhaps agree that tying knots was a forbidden work. But they went further. They said that sailor knots could not be tied. Camel drivers knots could not be tied. Knots in ropes could not be tied. It was permitted, however, for a woman to tie her sash on the Sabbath. So it was permissible to let down a bucket into a well on the Sabbath if the bucket was tied to a sash. But to lower a bucket tied with a rope was not permissible. They majored in the minors. They concentrated in the smallness of the law and missed the larger issues, like justice and mercy.
April 7 - Luke 12:22-34
The lilies of the field were anemones. Following a summer shower the hills of Palestine would be covered with them. They would bloom quickly and die within a day. They would be gathered and used for fuel, as would most grasses and wild flowers. If God could care for them, with their tentative, marginal existence, could God not care for the days and years of a human life, created in God's own image? Anxious care can rob us of much joy. We worry about our lives, our food, our clothing, our possessions. We set our hearts on things that are certainly immediate, things that we often really need, but not worth concentrating on to the exclusion of the truly important things. Seek first Jesus' realm, the rule of the Spirit where love and forgiveness and hope abound like perennial flowers. Seek that treasure that cannot be stolen, that no moth can consume. Yes there is such. It is a gift. Seek it open handed, looking to the Lord of heaven and earth.
April 8 - Luke 12:42-46
The household manager was often a trusted servant or slave who was elevated over the other servants. The manager was to care for the house and lands. People would answer to him. But there would be a day when he would answer to the master of the house. In this story the manager becomes proud, immersed in the power he has. He rationalizes that he can do as he pleases, that he is in charge. He mistakenly believes that he has ample time to cover any excesses and errors. He is wrong of course, but he continues on his way. The master will return unexpectedly and will punish him severely. Jesus was giving this urgent warning to those to whom he entrusted the responsibility of the Kingdom. Verse thirty six of chapter twelve gives the antidote. "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning." Service and preparedness are not always easy, but they have their rewards.
April 9 - Luke 13:6-9
It took fig trees three years of growth before they began to produce fruit. The owner of the vineyard had come three years looking for fruit, so we can assume that the tree was actually six years old. It was a long time to wait for a tree to bear fruit. The land was precious, the water resources limited. Every tree had to produce in order for the people to survive. There was no room for an unproductive tree. So the owner decided to cut it down and plant another tree. The gardener intervenes. "Give it another year. I will dig around it and fertilize it. Then you decide." That was a daring thing to do, to appeal the owners decision. The owner had great confidence in the gardener and so the extra time was granted. It was an extension of grace to a fruitless tree. Perhaps it would bear fruit. Give it a second chance. The gospel of Jesus is the gospel of the second chance. The fig tree was Israel. The fig tree is us, at times in our lives. We all need and may receive the chance to be cared for, renewed, and then to begin to bear fruit for the owner of the vineyard. It happens.
April 10 - Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died. He was still in good health. His eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. He had seen the promised land from a distance; to enter was not granted him. Moses was buried in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but the site of his grave is unknown. The name of Moses is inextricably linked with many of the greatest events in the ancient history. When we think of Moses we think of the burning bush, the Passover, the escape across the Red Sea, the ten commandments, and all the ups and downs between Egypt and the promised land. The book of Deuteronomy closes with a powerful tribute to Moses. "No one has ever," it says, "shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel." Moses was the greatest of prophets, until a prophet like Moses appeared, a prophet mighty in word and deed. On the mountain of his Transfiguration (where Moses finally set foot in the promised land) Christ is shown to be the successor (and surpasser) of both Moses and Elijah. One mightier than even Moses was Jesus the Christ.
April 11 - Luke 14:16-24
He gave a party and no one came. Guests were invited. They agreed to come. But when the day and hour came they refused to stop what they were doing. Jesus was speaking about the resistance of the religious leaders of the day. The Lord God had invited them, and the nation, to be a part of his kingdom. But when they had to choose to follow the Christ they refused. One scholar called this the "Great Refusal." But God had a contingency plan. He invited others. So the excuses of the first invited guests did not cancel the banquet. (Indeed evil cannot hold good at ransom.) The banquet went on as planned, with other guests. Those in the streets of the town were invited. Those from country lanes were included. The phrase, "Make them come in," is not a command to violence, but a command to calm the fears of those who were surprised to be included. They simply could not believe it. Assure them that they are. Bring them in by the compulsion of loving invitation. We want to be at that banquet.
April 12 - Luke 15:1-32
This is a chapter about lost things--a sheep, a coin, a son. It is meaningful for us because we all have lost something somewhere along the line. The great lessons of this chapter are that God seeks for lost things, God has compassion on lost people, and God rejoices when the lost things are found. All of us have seen the Sunday School picture of the shepherd returning with the sheep on his shoulders. It is unforgettable. The other sheep were left in the open area. They were together and safe. It is the one lost sheep which claims the shepherds intense energies. He searches for the stray "until" it is found. The "until" is a wonderful promise. God will not abandon us, even when we abandon God. God will be the shepherd. God will come looking for us and our children. O to be found this day by the seeking God. Read this chapter when you think you are alone and no one cares. It should remind each of us how much God cares for us.
April 13 - Luke 16:1-8
This is the story of a rascal, an employee who wasted his owners goods. After some time he was found out and called in, given notice, and told him to clean out his office. While he was in the process he tried to endear himself to other rascals by lowering their bills to his own boss. When the owner discovered this he complimented the shrewdness of the wicked employee and, incidentally, revealed his own wicked character. The point of this story is not found in "likeness," but in "unlikeness." It is a story of opposites. God is not like a wicked owner. God is the opposite of such a person. If an evil old boss can approve what a rascally employee does, how much more will a loving God approve those who live faithfully. God will not forget the least faithfulness. Our little deeds of love and encouragement will not be forgotten. Evil unnoticed will be found out and ultimately punished. Good not seen will eventually be rewarded.
April 14 - Luke 16:19-31
There are interesting details in this story. The rich man was exceedingly rich, as shown by the use of purple dye...an extremely expensive commodity. His clothing was purple and "fine" linen. The poor man was extremely poor, as shown by the dogs showing pity on him, licking his wounds. Other details include the description of hell, the fact that Abraham was alive in heaven, and the great gulf in between. This is a story of interesting details, but there is a great appeal given in the middle of it. The great plea is to "remember." Remember your life. Remember what you were and what you did. Remember your attitude to others in need. It is a strong word, calling us to see our own lives clearly, while we may. "Does any human being realize life while they are living it?" was Emily's question in the play "Our Town." It is difficult to live our everyday lives and find space to reflect upon what we are and what we are doing. But the opportunity is there if we will seize it. Church is a place for that kind of thing. Think about it.
April 15 - Luke 17:11-19
Barclay notes that one authority said that a leper must stay at least fifty feet away from a healthy person when the wind in blowing toward the latter. Lepers were isolated from the rest of the community. We also remember the great division which occurred between the Jews and the Samaritans. The hatred was deep. A Jew traveling from Galilee to Judea would often walk around Samaria, many miles out of the way, in order to avoid Samaritans. But note that here we find both Jews and Samaritans in the same group of lepers. It is a wonderful and terrible thought that a common need can bring old barriers down. Does it take something like leprosy? Yes, this passage is about ingratitude, but it also tells us something important about people coming together out of common needs. Should not our common need of forgiveness and new life draw all of us to God and closer to each other?
April 16 - Luke 18:15-17
They were simply looking for a blessing for their child. The mothers would bring their young, looking for a teacher, a rabbi, to bless them on their first birthday. It was natural for a parent to seek such a favor for their little ones. We would have done the same thing. It is a wonderful truth that Jesus had time for the children. The disciples would protect him. He would open himself to the little ones, give them time and attention, and a blessing. We come to the end of the day tired, weary with the day's labor, ready for some quiet time. But the little ones are eager to exercise that unending energy which characterizes the young. Jesus invited the children to come. Do not block them. They are the ones who clearly illustrate the kingdom. They are curious, open, trusting, willing to hear. Their eagerness rebukes our weariness in hearing and responding to Jesus, to the Gospel, to the kingdom of heaven. We should cease being childish. We should always be childlike.
April 17 - Luke 18:35-43
Pilgrims filled the road to Jerusalem. As they walked out of the ancient city of Jericho the procession stopped. Jesus halted the movement of pilgrims going to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. A beggar was crying at the side of the road. It is remarkable that Jesus heard the voice of one crying. It is wonderful that he would stop the whole parade to help one person. All the travelers to the holy city stopped, and listened, and beheld the bringing of light to eyes held long in the ever enduring dark. He knew what he wanted. He called Jesus a fellow Jew, a son of David. He called him Lord. He followed Jesus in the road and praised God. It was a glorious day. Blue skies overhead, a warm breeze blowing, dust from many feet filling the air, and a blind man seeing. Many people with sight could not see what Jesus was doing, who he was, but that blind man would know forever.
April 18 - Luke 19:1-10
Jericho was a very wealthy city. It was a garden spot. Palm and Balsam grew in abundance. The city also commanded the crossings of the Jordan, so there was much traffic on the Jericho road. It was probably a good place to be a tax collector. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, a leader, one of the "best." The problem was that Zacchaeus was not content. He lived amid garden splendor, but his interior life was like a desert. Wealth could not provide him with what he needed most. So when Jesus passed through Zacchaeus went way out of his way to see him. Climbing a tree, going out on a limb, he found himself looking into the face of the Christ. An amazing thing happened then. Jesus said that he would go to the house of Zacchaeus that very day. No one expected that. Tax collectors were shunned as collaborators. Jesus went out of his way that day to seek and save that son of Abraham...He had obviously been called something less complimentary. The result was life for many poor people, and for the chief of tax collectors.
April 19 - Luke 19:28-40
In the Old Testament it was said that the king would come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. It is this prophecy that Jesus fulfills when he rides into Jerusalem. It was an announcement. "Here is your king!" The meaning was clear to all the people, and to the leaders. Jesus was identifying himself as the one who comes in the name of the Lord. It was a time of appeal. The first response was joyful. The people lined the roads, throwing garments in the way, and waving the branches of the palm trees. "Hosanna!" they cried. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." The leaders responded in a different way. They demanded that the Lord silence the people. Jesus replied that if he silenced the people the very stones would find voice and shout. It was an announcement, a choice, a plea to Jerusalem and the whole people. Later on the shouts would change from welcome to rejection. The leaders would turn their anger into violence. But on that Sunday, the people welcomed their king. It was a fitting response to the King of Kings. May we always welcome Jesus into our Jerusalems.
April 20 - Luke 20:20-26
Jesus was in the courts of the temple in Jerusalem. He was preaching and teaching the gospel, which means the good news. One by one different groups of people came to him to test him, trying to trap him into saying something for which they could have him arrested, or at least disgraced. This passage shows the depths to which his opposition stooped. They hired spies to try to get something on him. They asked him if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not. If he said "yes," the people would think that he was a friend of the conquerors, the Romans. If he said, "no," they could appeal to the Romans by saying that he was obviously a breaker of the Roman law. Jesus turned the tables on them by asking for a Roman coin. Once they reached in their pockets and pulled out a coin, they could not say that they refused to spend or possess an image of Caesar. They were clearly revealed as spies, sent to trick the Lord. They were unable to trap him. Jesus called to them to give to God that which belonged to God.
April 21 - Joshua 22:21-34
Those tribes of Israel whose share of the land was east of the Jordan were required to send troops to support the tribal settlement of the lands on the west side of the river. Following the conquest they were to return to their own lands. This passage, and the verses preceding, are the record of this return. Upon their return to the east side of Jordan the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar to the Lord God. The other tribes saw this as an act of rebellion, for God's tabernacle was on the west side of the Jordan. Here we find a face to face confrontation between the two groups of tribes. The eastern tribes pled that their intent was to erect a memorial, that their place in the community of Israel might not be forgotten. This is accepted by the other tribes, and the bond of unity was kept intact. This tension has a very contemporary sound to it.
April 22 - Luke 21:1-28
This chapter puzzles us because it talks about several thing at once. It talks about the fall of Jerusalem, which was to occur in seventy A.D. The passage also refers to a future time when the end of history will occur. There are clear references to the return of Christ to the earth. Also in this chapter, we find references to the persecution of the church. The words and their meaning are troubling. They speak of judgment, of suffering, of that most dreaded of all things, change. But beneath these words, which are really true to the experience of all of us, there are some eternal truths just waiting to be grasped. Read carefully and you will find that we will not be alone in times of turmoil. Watch and you will see that history is going someplace, there is a goal, a direction. Note that while little is permanent here, we do have a permanent hope, a solid expectation. Christ is with us. Christ will come. Even struggle can be an opportunity, and struggle will not endure forever. Think about it.
April 23 - Luke 21:29-38
My lettuce survived the mid spring chill. An arctic front swept down, threatening flower and garden. We wondered out loud, "Where has spring gone?" "Winter is back." Well, only for a moment. Was it Robert Frost who said that winter death has never tried the earth but lost? Spring growth and summer harvest are inevitable. We can see the lilac blooming, smell its sweet fragrance, and know for certain that spring has come and summer won't be far behind. If we can see the signs of summer, we should see the signs of the Kingdom. It is always near for us to see. The troubling "this" in verse 32 refers to the generation which saw the fall of Jerusalem, and also to the generation which will, in the future, see the return of Christ to the earth. Verses 34, 35, and 36 have living truth for us. We tend to get weighed down by the anxieties of life, hopefully not with dissipation or drunkenness. We get bogged down in cares and miss the signs of help. Watch. Pray. The day, the light, is near.
April 24 - Judges 3:31
During the time in between the great leaders of the early years and the Kings who would rule from about 1000 B.C., leadership of Israel was in the hands of Judges. The word in Hebrew means to judge, to govern, to vindicate, to punish. During this time Israel would stray from the Lord and a time of suffering would follow. They would be ruled by the Moabites, the Canaanites, the Midianites, and others. Such rule could be cruel. From time to time tribal leaders would call the people of Israel to repentance. Such a change would lead to defeat for the enemies of Israel, and the land would have peace for a time. There were thirteen judges. One was Shamgar, mentioned only in this verse and in 5:6. The sparse information given does tell us that the people had deserted the roads. They had to take the winding paths in the hills to avoid the conqueror. They were being robbed and oppressed. In this time a little known farmer raised up a band of Israelites, poorly armed, but determined to throw off the yoke of the Philistines. Verse thirty one is the tribute to an ordinary person who did an extraordinary thing.
April 25 - Luke 22:47-53
The New Testament records only two instances of someone kissing Jesus. One of these occasions was the evening Jesus had a meal with Simon the Pharisee. A woman filled with sorrow for her sins came in crying. Her tears fell on Jesus' feet. She wiped his feet with her hair. Jesus told Simon that she had kissed his feet in sorrow and repentance. The second instance is here, in this passage, the record of Jesus' betrayal. Whatever the motives were...money, impatience, militant strategy...Judas identified Jesus to the arresting soldiers. He kissed him. Betrayed by a kiss. It was a sad hour. One of the twelve, the closest of his followers, delivered him into the hands of his enemies. There was some token resistance, but Jesus put a stop to it. The moment was a necessary tragedy. It was necessary to suffer in order to redeem the people. Jesus was ready. This was the enemy's hour, when darkness reigned.
April 26 - Judges 6:11-24
Look at the situation of the Israelites. It is illustrated by Gideon's threshing practice. He had to hide in a wine press in order to have a little grain for his family to use. An angel joined him in the wine press. Gideon was prompted to ask if God had abandoned Israel. He was bolder than many who had come into angelic presences. The message to him was designed to answer his fears and summon his courage. The message was, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand." The question of "how? was answered with "I will be with you." Gideon then went through a time of uncertainty, a time of testing, but he came to be what he was called to be. This Judge of Israel defeated the Midianites near the hill of Moreh and rescued Israel from the enemy. Go in the strength you have. We undoubtedly have more strength than we ever imagine. The Lord used a scared farmer to rout an army. What could God do with us?
April 27 - Luke 23:39-43
There were two thieves crucified with Jesus. One of them joined the mob in hurling insults: "If you are the Messiah save yourself! Save us!" They were all headed toward the darkness, and in that shadow which precedes death one thief refused to change. The other found courage to speak the truth: "We deserve what we have received, but this man is innocent." Then he looked to Jesus and uttered those words for all sinners in all times, "Remember me." We sang it around the campfire late in the evening at church summer camp: "Do Lord, o do Lord, o do remember me." Remember me. Help me. Forgive me. And in those words was a question: "Is there any hope for me?" Jesus reveals his true nature again with the words: "Today, you will be with me in paradise." Today you will walk in the garden of the King of Kings. Today you will be forgiven and accepted. Not put off, not given a quest to fulfill, simply forgiven. It is the picture of every Christian. It is the ground for a great and enduring hope.
April 28 - Luke 23:44-46
It was the night time prayer of every Hebrew child. Many of us have taught our children the prayer which begins, "Now I lay me down to sleep.." We remember our children praying it. The Hebrew mother and father would remember their children praying this prayer from Psalm 31. In the gathering darkness of the evening each one would place their lives in the hands of the Living God before drifting off to sleep. So Christ, on the cross, in the gathering darkness of approaching death, places his life in the hands of God, knowing that it would be received and restored. It is a wonderful prayer. We should teach our children, and ourselves, this prayer of faith in God.
April 29 - Luke 24:13-34
The two travelers journeyed the hill road which passes near the tombs of the judges and on to Emmaus, a little village seven miles west of Jerusalem. Their countenances were downcast. They had lost hope. It was a day of gloom and sorrow. William Barclay, in his Daily Study Bible, notes that it was not on a day glad and golden, when all was right with the world, that Jesus came to the two. It was on a day when everything had gone wrong. Barclay quotes a little poem which describes a particularly gloomy day:
Sometimes I say on days like these,
I get a sudden gleam of bliss.
Not on some sunny day of ease,
He'll come...but on a day like this!
And so it often is. He comes to join us on our gloomy days.
April 30 - John 1 1-18
These verses are called the "prologue" to the Gospel of John. It tells us of some of our basic beliefs. Jesus is God. Through him all the worlds were made. He came from God into human flesh. While no one can see God, God can show himself. God did so in Jesus. The word "logos," which is translated "word" in our Bibles, has an ancient history. A Greek philosopher by the name of Heraclitus used it in 600 B.C. to mean the divine principle of order in the universe, a divine reason. To us it means that Jesus was the earthly nature of the divine creative power. Jesus was fully God and fully human. Sounds rather abstract, but there was a theory taught in John's day that God would not get mixed up in earthly things. God was too pure to become mixed up in things in the created world. John said that God chose to send his own Word to become one with human flesh. He came to us. He was one of us. He knew our struggles and sufferings. It is really very practical and very important to us.
May 1 - John 1:29-34
John was a man of the wilderness, eating locusts and honey, wearing a garment of leather. From the beginning of his life he was set apart for a special ministry. These words in John show what that ministry was. He was the one who ran ahead announcing that the long expected king was here. He was the one who pointed to Jesus of Nazareth and identified him and the Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. One of the most interesting things that John said about Jesus was that he saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Jesus. Note that the Spirit remained. We have experienced the Spirit from time to time, felt the rushing of a mighty wind, but it does not remain on us. Jesus was (and is) the one on whom the Spirit stayed. May we always find ourselves touched by the Spirit. May we always seek Jesus, who baptizes with the wind of God.
May 2 - John 2:1-11
His mother knew that she could count on him. So when the wine ran out (Was it at the wedding of a relative?) she turned to him for help. He had six stone jars filled with water. This was a job in itself for each jar held from twenty to thirty gallons. The servants filled the jars, drew out a pitcher full to take to the master of ceremonies. The water had been changed to wine. The old had become new. The insipid had become effervescent. The best was now available. It was an announcement of his power and a revelation of his glory. The change announced the new time of the Kingdom of God. The Messiah had come to save the people, and stood before them in the joyous celebration of a wedding. Jesus still takes old lives and makes them new. The change is as drastic (and as good) as the one described here. And we may drink the new wine of the Kingdom at the Lord's Table.
May 3 - John 3:1-16
Spring may be defined as a battle of winds. The south wind has recovered its strength. It clashes with the cool fronts which sweep in from the Pacific. Cold and warm, sunshine and shower, are the two sides of spring. If you stand outside on a windy day, watching the tree limbs sway first this way and then that way, you see an invisible force creating visible results. It is hard to say what the wind will do next. To judge with some accuracy to need a new perspective. Viewed from a weather satellite, the cloud swirl, the front lines, become clearer. A view from above clarifies the earthbound view we experience from our front porch. So Jesus told Nicodemus that a limited, earthbound view was bound to be a puzzle. But to one born again, from above, a new perspective was added which made the wind of the spirit less frightening, clearer, even joyful. To "see" the kingdom of heaven in truth requires a new, a heavenly, "birth".
May 4 - John 3:22-36
Jesus and his disciples were baptizing in the Judean countryside. John the Baptist and his followers were, surprisingly, in Samaria, at Aenon, near Salim. Look at the maps in your Bible. Remember the enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans. The nature of the dispute among John's disciples is so minor that it is not given. The question about Jesus, the "one" who was with John across the Jordan, opens the real discussion. Recorded here is how the Baptizer sees himself and how he sees Jesus. John was to diminish. He had accomplished his role. He had completed his job. He was not the "groom", but the best man. He supported the groom and rejoiced for him. But the "one from above," is above all, speaks the words of God, gives the spirit without limit, has everything placed in his hands. These are powerful words. It is a wonder that we are called at all. It is the greatest compliment that we are called to believe in such a one. We are called by Jesus.
May 5 - John 4:4-30
This is a passage of many contrasts. There is the dryness of the land and the thirst of the people, contrasted with the abundance of the water in the well. There is the contrast between the Jews and the Samaritans. Their relationship was filled with controversy. There is the contrast between the man, Jesus, and the woman of Sychar. Again, there is a contrast in the worship of God on Mount Zion, in the temple, and the Samaritan worship on Mount Gerazim. Yet another contrast is seen in the lives of the two speakers. In all of these contrasts the resolution is presented. It is Jesus himself, who here calls himself the Messiah. In him, in the new time of his kingdom, all these contrasts may be resolved. Sins may be forgiven. Dry land and dry lives may find restoration and harvest. In fact an abundance of life giving water will be found, like a spring of water bubbling up out of the ground, a living water. This meeting in Samaria contains a message for all of us who experience times of drought in our personal lives. There is a clear message about the barriers being broken down between people through the message of the Messiah.
May 6 - Ruth 1:11-18
This passage of scripture is certainly one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. In it the three widows make choices about their lives. Ruth and Orpah, the daughter-in-laws, talk with Naomi, who is their mother-in-law. Naomi is returning to her native land and city, Bethlehem in Judea. Naomi urges them to go back to their own homes, their own land. They agonize over the choice. They share deep losses and many tears. Then the crucial moment of decision comes. It always does. Orpah kisses Naomi and leaves. Ruth kisses her and clings to her. She will go with her. She will not leave her. Ruth decides to stay with the one who has been like a mother to her, even if it means going to a country foreign to her. Her words of choice are among the most familiar of the Bible: "Where you go, I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." The words ring with greatness. It takes little time to read the whole book and rejoice in the story of the foreign woman who became the great grandmother of King David.
May 7 - John 5:1-9
How long is thirty-eight years? It was thirty-eight years from the start of the Great Depression to the mega-inflation of the Carter administration years in Washington. When you are thirty-eight you feel the pressure of that big fortieth birthday. How long was it in arriving? In thirty-eight years many people move from being young parents to being grandparents. For thirty-eight years this man had been an invalid. He lay near the waters of the pool of Bethesda, which means "House of mercy" or "flowing waters." No one would help him into the pool when the waters were troubled. For most of a lifetime he had been alone and helpless. Then one day the Lord of life and limb spoke to him. "Do you want to get well?" he asked. It is a good question. Sometimes a person gets used to an illness and cannot give it up. An illness can be an excuse not to live, to achieve, to serve. But this man was certain. He knew that he wanted to get beyond his problem. To him (and to those like him) Jesus says, "Arise, take up your bed and walk."
May 8 - John 5:24-47
They could not believe Jesus because he broke their little rules. They saw the things that Jesus did and knew he was someone special. This was the inner conflict of the opposition to Jesus. The question was whether or not they could break out of their little rules into the greater life of one sent by the Father. There were greater rules, like love and justice, which called to them. This passage shows that they simply could not do it. They could not escape their life of keeping little rules, putting little things ahead of big things. Sometimes these verses are called the seven witnesses. Jesus is saying that there are at least seven witnesses to my message. He listed them: himself, the dead, John the Baptist, the great works Jesus did, the Father, the Scriptures, and Moses. Even then they would not believe him. They were too set in their ways to find their way to believe, to gain eternal life. That still happens.
May 9 - John 6:16-21
This is John's telling of the second storm. Earlier the disciples were caught in a storm on the lake during the day. Jesus was with them. There were other boats near. But in this record the journey is at night. Jesus was on a mountain praying. The disciples were alone in the storm. It is a wonderful story of rescue. The old fishers had probably experienced many storms on that lake. But this was one which could have ended in tragedy. The wonder of this story is that Jesus had been watching them. Had seen their plight. Even before they had cried out he was already on the way. His words to them are strong words of encouragement and command. "Do not fear!" And why? Because, "It is I." Jesus is with us in the storm. When we recognize him he says these words to us. It is a difficult thing to be fearless in a storm; but not so difficult when you know you are not alone. Look for the Lord when you are in the storm.
May 10 - John 6:22-27
They were hungry again. The crowds had followed Jesus and they wanted more. Jesus asked them, in effect, if they were not hungry for something other than food? What about the deep hungers of the soul. We human beings always seem to be hungry for something. There is a restlessness, a dissatisfaction that apparently is built in. Thomas Wolfe speaks of people searching for the lost lane into heaven, the lost language of paradise. The rock group U-2 sings that it still hasn't found what it's looking for. Here Jesus offers the true food, in contrast to the food which perishes and must be sought again and again. The word "truth" in Hebrew is Ameth. It consists of three letters: aleph, the first letter; min, the middle letter of the alphabet; and tau, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Truth is the beginning, middle, and end of life. Here is the truth. Jesus feeds the deepest hungers. Nothing else will do. Christ is available to those who believe. Satisfied. Really satisfied.
May 11 - 1 Samuel 11:1-15
What we usually hear about Saul is that he persecuted his servant David, who was to succeed him as King of Israel. We hear of his fits of madness. We hear of his seeking help through the occult. But Saul had good times as well as bad. His sad ending should not obscure his successful days. This chapter in the Bible tells us of his success in rescuing the people of Jabesh Gilead from the Ammonites. It was a time when the Spirit of God was upon him. He organized a campaign. He consolidated his kingship. The people of the city were rescued from the marauders and Saul was a hero as well as a king. When we think of Saul let us temper justice with mercy and remember this day when they sacrificed before the Lord and all the people held a great celebration.
May 12 - 1 Samuel 13:1-14
The enemies of Israel deployed an impressive army: three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, numerous soldiers, armed with swords and spears. The Israelites were rightly nervous. It would have been a surprise if no one had run away. Here was a time for real leadership. Saul failed this day, not because he was not a good general, nor because his troops were poorly equipped, but because he failed to await his best ally. Had he waited on the Lord, he would have been successful. But he did not. He seized the day and offered sacrifices to God himself, not waiting upon the Lord's prophet, Samuel. As a result he heard a disappointed Samuel speak these words: "Your kingdom will not endure..." To wait for the Lord, to wait God's season, is not easy, but necessary for success.
May 13 - John 7:37-53
Tabernacles was the most popular of the three feasts everyone had to attend. It was an agricultural celebration of harvest, a thanksgiving. The booths which were built reminded the people of their time in the wilderness. It was also associated with water. The ceremonies were, in part, a thanksgiving for the gift of water which enabled the harvest. In part, they were an anticipation of early rains which would produce a good harvest the next year. Tabernacles remembered the water from the rock in the wilderness, and pled with God for water in the next year. During the ceremony the priest poured about a quart of water from a golden pitcher into a silver funnel located on the great altar. The water went into the ground. At that very high and holy moment Jesus stood up and said that whoever was thirsty should come to him, to receive living waters. It was a startling and wonderful moment. Jesus was (and is) the source of living waters, of the spirit. Jesus is the rock in our wilderness from which we may receive life giving water. Reactions were mixed. They are today. But Christians know that special water first hand.
May 14 - 1 Samuel 15:10-23
Saul falls again. He did wrong by offering the burnt offering personally and not waiting for Samuel the prophet. Here he sins by not obeying the Lord' command. The Amalekites had treated the Israelites cruelly as they came up from Egypt to the promised land. They continued to raid settlements. Saul was commanded to destroy them completely. His failure was that he kept plunder for himself and, when Samuel confronted him, he tried to dodge the truth. Samuel said that he could hear the bleating of sheep and the lowing of cattle. And Saul spared the life of Agag the King of the Amalekites. Now we wonder about the total destruction. We do not have all the answers. We were not there, under the threat of raiding parties. But the key issue is not the amount of destruction, but whether Saul would obey. He failed. He did not do what the Lord had commanded and he erected a monument to himself at Carmel. God enables what God commands, but success can go to your head.
May 15 - 1 Samuel 17:20-52
David had been anointed with oil in the presence of his brothers. It was he who was to succeed Saul. But there was a long interim when Saul was still king and David grew from a boy to a man. This is the story of David seizing his manhood. He accepted the challenge of the giant Goliath of Gath when all others trembled and fled. With five smooth stones he faced the mighty warrior. He stunned him with a stone. Stabbed him with his own sword and, with that same weapon, cut off his head. It was a victory for the Israelites and Saul, but it is the turning point of life for David. Here he claimed the help of the Lord. Here he stood firm when others fled. Here he faced the overwhelming power of a mighty opponent. The most important words are found in verse 47: "It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's." We may conquer powerful adversaries if the Lord leads. The church has always relied upon this truth.
May 16 - John 8:37-59
Abraham had seen it. In his vision in Genesis 15:17-21 he saw his posterity all the way down to Jesus the Christ. Abraham had welcomed the messengers of God, the angels who appeared as men. (Genesis 18.) Abraham, who came from among the Chaldeans, saw the truth and welcomed it. We remember him this day because he had the vision to see the truth and to live by it. Abraham had no written law, no record of the prophets. He had not experienced the rescue from slavery in Egypt, nor the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land. Yet he believed. Here was a group calling themselves sons of Abraham, who had the law and the prophets, all the tradition, and the very Son standing next to them, yet they could not believe. They were blind to the true light. They were deaf to the living word. No wonder Jesus denied that they were children of Abraham. The "death" referred to in verse 51 is the second death, the total separation of the person from God which would occur after the death of the body. But do not lose sight of the gist of it, that those who should have seen refused to do so.
May 17 - John 9:1-41
This long reading is the record of the sixth miracle in John. It is a story filled with contrasts...a blind man who could see, men with vision who are blind, the Son of God called a sinner, differing views of the Sabbath, a sinner who believes in the Son of God. Several things are readily apparent. Jesus is committed to continue the work of God regardless of the cost. The leaders miss the opportunity that might have been theirs. The man most acutely aware of his need clearly penetrates to the key lesson: "Now that is remarkable! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes." The pharisees bogged down in minute detail of legal interpretations, used stock excuses for not considering Jesus' claim. They would not even consider it. But the one whose eyes were opened owns Jesus as Lord. Do we get bogged down in little excuses for not joining Christ's holy fellowship? Do we complain about hypocrites? Do we say that we don't have time? Think about it.
May 18 - John 10:1-21
The picture of the Good Shepherd is important to all who search for wisdom and strength in the Bible. Think of the shepherds. Moses kept the flock of Jethro when the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush. David was the shepherd who saved Israel and became the great king in Jerusalem. Ezekiel records that when the leaders of the nation became corrupt God himself would become the shepherd and seek out the sheep. The picture of the shepherd leaving the flock in safety and searching for the one lost sheep until it is found is not only a wonderful story but a promise. Here Jesus clearly states that he is the one. "I am the good shepherd," he says,"who lays down his life for his sheep." And again he states that he is the good shepherd who knows his sheep. The "other" sheep are the non-Jews, the Gentiles. He will bring all into one flock with one shepherd. It is the model toward which the church strives. We are one in Jesus.
May 19 - 1 Samuel 25:1-35
Nabal was a fool. His name means just that. It is pronounced "Naw-bawl." It sounds like a fool. David had protected his flocks near Carmel. When he was in desperate flight from Saul he sought help from the one whom he had protected. Nabal could not see beyond his own possessions. His arrogant refusal prompted David's wrath. No doubt David could have taken Nabal's sheep and killed all the men of his household, but then the defilement of blood revenge would have been on him. He would have spilled innocent blood. The land would have been defiled. Instead, the good sense of the woman Abigail prevented David from sinning. David saw his error and left vengeance to the Lord. It came quickly and the story ends with Abigail becoming David's wife. Fools can still tempt us toward revenge. It is a very contemporary story.
May 20 - John 11:17-27
Chapter eleven of the Gospel of John records the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus was east of the Jordan preaching and teaching. Word came to him of his friends serious illness. He chose to return to Bethany even though it meant walking into danger. The leaders had decided that something had to be done about Jesus. In verses seventeen through twenty seven we find the conversation between Jesus and Martha. It is filled with sorrow and with hope. Martha was hurt that Jesus had not prevented the death. Jesus offers hope in clear terms. "Your brother will rise again." Martha accepted the general resurrection in the end times. Jesus replied that he was the Messiah. The "age to come" started with him. He states for all times and all ages that he is the resurrection and the life. For life we come to him. If we believe, that is the crucial question posed here, we will not experience death beyond death, but rather life beyond death.
May 21 - 1 Samuel 31:1-13
Here is the sad ending of the story of Saul. Once chosen as king, anointed by Samuel, he began the monarchy in Israel. He had his good days. The Philistines and others were defeated by his armies. His son Jonathan was sensible and understanding. He tried to curb his father's anger. But Saul was on the way down. In the preceding chapter we found that he had stooped to consulting a witch. And in this chapter the Philistines triumphed over Saul and the army of Israel. Saul and his sons were slain. Saul fell on his own sword, killing himself. The Philistines mutilated the body and displayed the armor in their pagan shrines. The chapter closes with the people of Jabesh Gilead recovering the bodies of Saul and his sons. It was a day of sadness for Israel. Sad days come to all of us. We can understand grief because we have experienced it. So, temper your justice with mercy.
May 22 - John 12:20-26
Frodo, the diminutive hero in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," plainly tells Sam, his close friend and traveling companion, that some people must give up their life that others may live, some must lose that others may gain. Frodo's statement was right out of this passage of scripture. The Son of Man must be glorified, which means that he must pass through suffering and death. The quest always has its trials. But then any gardener knows that a seed produces nothing if it remains in a package on the shelf. It must be placed in the ground, covered over, if it is to begin to do what it was meant to do. So Jesus died first to self will. Gave himself in order to save others. It is an old secret, a deep and powerful truth, that suffering and sacrifice bear much fruit. The church has always known this, often acted on it. How can we die to self that others may live?
May 23 - John 13:1-35
There are just too many great lessons in this passage. Each would require a lengthy article to begin to probe the layers and layers of meaning. But, on the other hand, the great theme of this chapter is love. It is the "love" chapter of the gospels. Verse one says that the time for leaving had come and he showed them the full extent of his love. He died to spare us the separation from God we deserve. He took our places. Jesus gives his life for ours. It is a wonderful outpouring of divine love. He also sets the practical example. He washes the disciples feet. We are to do likewise. And that means we are to be servants not lords. We are those who help, heal, not those who rule. We are agents of God's love. In verses thirty four and thirty five of chapter thirteen you will find the new commandment (from which the name of Maundy or "commandment" Thursday comes) to love one another. We love because he first loved us. That we are free to express love to others is an amazing freedom.
May 24 - John 14:1-7,& 27
A old Scot pastor would whisper in the ear of a dying church member, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Trust in Christ. In my Father's house are many mansions." The soul, on its way across the river, would pause, listen, and take courage from the living words of scripture. The next words were: "I will come again and take you with me that you may also be with me." Often the dying saint would smile and launch out in faith on that journey home. These words are words of great comfort for the dying, and also for you and me as we journey through the mountains and valleys of life. Do not be troubled. Believe in God. Believe in Christ. And do not forget verse 27. In that verse we find our true legacy in this world and the next. The world cannot give it nor take it away.
May 25 - 2 Samuel 7:1-11
From following the flock to ruling the people of Israel was a long journey. David had won his way from shepherd boy to King in Jerusalem. In this passage the Lord speaks to David of his purpose for him and for Israel. Verse ten was (and is) one of the special verses for the Hebrew people. God declares that he will provide a place for Israel; he will plant them in a home; he will give them a rest from their enemies. David was the ideal king, though not absolutely perfect, and from him would come the "offspring" who would build the temple. Bible readers over the centuries have seen the Messiah coming from the line of David. Solomon built the temple, but Jesus the Christ, son of David, Son of God, was the one who established the Kingdom which has no end. His throne will endure forever and his dominion shall be from sea to sea. You might want to read David's thoughtful reply. It begins in verse eighteen.
May 26 - John 15:5-20
Look at the great lessons in this discourse of Jesus. First he says that we are related to him as a branch is to a vine. The branch draws sustenance and strength from the vine. The vine is the life line for the branch. The branch must stay connected so that it will bear fruit. When the vine and branch are joined the branch prospers. "Ask whatever you wish," Jesus says. This does not mean that we may ask for frivolous things. If we are linked with the vine we will ask for things that are appropriate. When we are in doubt about something we may ask if it is within the will of God to ask such a thing. We may ask. Note also the gift of life in Christ brings joy. In verse eleven we are told that the basic aim of God's love is that we may be truly joyful. Joy is the goal of the Christian life. A third lesson is that Christians may expect the pagan world to oppose them. They opposed Christ, why should we expect anything other than that. Note also that in verse fifteen we are called "friends." We are friends of the One. Great words for you and me are found here.
May 27 - John 16:16-24
Verse twenty contains some the most important words in the entire Bible. They are: "Your grief will turn to joy." The apostles were about to face a terrible loss. The one who was to fulfill the law and the prophets, to redeem Israel, was about to be taken from them. He would be seized, tried, mocked, scourged, and finally killed, and the apostles would be overcome with grief. The world would have its day. The enemies would do their worst. Then comes the resurrection. The angels and the apostles and all creation would sing that Christ is risen, death could not hold him. Their grief would turn to joy. And further that joy could not be taken away. So many joys depart with the years and with changes, but this is a joy that cannot be shaken by anything. And further, this joy would be complete. Is anything completely joyful, completely satisfying, unsullied by doubt? Yes. The joy of the Christian in Christ. Wonderful words. True words.
May 28 - John 17:9-19
This is a portion of the great prayer that Jesus prayed on the night before his crucifixion. The whole chapter is well worthy of your thoughtful study. In this section we find truths cascading like water coming down the falls beside the Taum Sauk trail in Iron County, Missouri. First Jesus prays that the followers will not be pulled out of the world. They are to be in the world for good or ill, struggling to bring the power of Jesus to bear on the problems of life. Prayer and retreat are means to that end, not ends in themselves. Also Jesus prays that the Father himself would protect followers from the evil one. We fail when we go to battle in our own strength, neglecting the protecting God. The Bible clearly believes in an evil power loose in the world. Finally, this passage is a prayer for unity. Let the churches fight the evil one and not each other. Let our witness be united. It is a great thing that in our day the followers of Christ are moving closer together in spirit. May Jesus' great prayer be for us in this our day.
May 29 - 2 Samuel 15:1-14
Absalom did what he thought was right. He avenged the cruel rape of his sister by killing her attacker, his half-brother Amnon. That act of blood revenge initiated the string of events which culminates in Absalom's rebellion. In the ancient city of Hebron, where David was first proclaimed king, the rebels proclaimed Absalom king of Israel and Judah. Joab, David's commander-in-chief, surely regretted the day he persuaded David to allow Absalom to return to Jerusalem. These verses record the beginning of the civil war within the nation, within a family. It was a sad day for David and for Israel. There was to be no happy ending. Some things do not end happily, regardless of the family. But God did not forsake David in his sorrow. We are never deserted by the living God.
May 30 - John 18:28-38
Carefully ponder John's record of Jesus' appearance before Pilate. Jesus had been up all night, had endured two questionings already, and here he was to be questioned by the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. Notice how the "man born to be king" (See verse thirty seven.) gives the tough old Roman a tender appeal. Christ hardly spoke to Annas. He spoke no word at all to Herod, the "fox." But he reaches out to Pilate. Jesus asks him if it is his idea that Jesus is king. Of course the purpose of that statement is to bring home the point that it is the Jewish leaders who said that he claimed to be a king. But there is also a subtle question in Jesus' words in verse thirty four. "Do you believe it? Will you believe that I am the chosen one?" Jesus went on to speak of his kingdom as if he expected Pilate to understand it. Pilate was confronted with the truth that day, as all of us will be. He struggled. He attempted to avoid the choice. He tried to shift the burden to others. Finally he gave in to error. He knew it. It was a sad day. We remember him as the one under whom Jesus suffered.
May 31 - John 19:23-30
Crucifixion produced intense suffering. The crucified had to hold himself up in order to breathe, causing muscles to ache, to cramp. Then in order to relax the muscles he would have to let go, in which case he could not breathe easily. Crucifixion was alternating between two different, but excruciating, pains. During this time Jesus remembered his mother. He entrusted her to the disciple whom he loved. His pain did not blind him to hers. Jesus always knows our sufferings. Next we find the sole evidence of physical complaint. He said, "I thirst." Strange paradox, the source of living water here was thirsty. It clearly shows us the extreme to which God would go to rescue his people. He would go even to extreme thirst, dehydration bordering on the death rasping, to save those whom he loved. With a triumphant shout he dies. "It is finished." It is completed. It is done. He was obedient unto death, even the death upon the cross. Only so may we call that Friday "Good."
June 1 - John 20:10-18
Mary Magdalene brought the report. The tomb was empty. Peter and John (so it is believed) quickly responded. John reached the tomb first and looked in. Peter arrived next and went inside. Both saw the grave clothes, but Jesus was not there. They did not know what to make of it. They stood in the shadows of uncertainty. It was not quite as dark, but the light had not reached them yet. Mary Magdalene remained near the tomb. The risen Jesus stood by her, but her tear filled eyes did not see him clearly. His voice broke through her darkness like the sunrise on a clear summer day. "Mary." It was the same voice that had pierced the darkness of her old way of life. It was the voice which had offered her forgiveness, restored her self respect and set her journeying upon a new way of life. That voice now called to her. She could not help but recognize it. It was the Lord. He had broken the darkness again. He breaks every darkness. He puts to flight every shadow. Lord give us eyes to see, ears to hear, during days of gloom and despair.
June 2 - John 21:1-14
This is a wonderful story. It is a fishing story. It differs from what we call "fish stories" in that it is not an exaggeration. The old fishers could not resist the call of the waters. The lure of the lake was too strong. So when they heard Peter sing out, "I am going fishing!" they immediately replied, "We are going with you. They fished all night and caught nothing. With the rosy fingers of dawn in the sky they saw someone on the shore. He beckoned to them, calling out, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" Together they answered, "No!" He then directed them to a real catch. One hundred and fifty three fish in one net. And the net did not break. By this time John and Peter had recognized the Lord and were on their way into shore. What a wonderful reunion was enjoyed in the early light of a new day. Jesus and his disciples were together again. They would never really be apart. He would always be with them, and would be known in the breaking of bread. There would be many others joining them as the church grew...thus the 153 fish. And the net would not break. The church will exist until the end of time and history. This is a wonderful story, filled with light and joy.
June 3 - Acts 1:1-11
Luke again writes to Theophilus, the one who loves God, in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Verse three leaves little doubt that Jesus was clearly alive. This was no illusion, no hallucination, no mere apparition. Jesus was seen by many over forty days. He ate and drank and spoke. He showed Thomas his hands and side. The witnesses to the resurrection were absolutely certain that Jesus rose from the dead. We have their record. It is a claim that we must examine and come to a decision to believe. It is a mystery, but not an absurdity. Of course it does not happen every day, if it did it would not be a miracle. A miracle is, by definition, a unique incidence of a greater principle, a higher law operating momentarily in this confine of time and space. Christ arose. Christ will return. We do not know the day or hour. Following the ascension the two angels told the disciples not to stand about looking at the sky. They knew the truth. Go and tell it. Go and live it. They did just that.
June 4 - 2 Samuel 23:20-23
The story of King David ends with the record of David's song in chapter 22, with the "last words of David," in chapter 23, with the listing of David's fighting men in chapter 23, and a census story in chapter 24. In the passage listed above we find a lengthy entry about one of the fighting men. There were others who were greater in terms of accomplishment, but Benaniah receives the most verses. Benaniah, pronounced "Ben-aw-yaw," meaning "God has built up," struck down two of Moab's mighty men. One translation says that he killed two lion-like men. There is also the interesting statement that he killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. It does not say where this occurred, but lions and snow are not usually found together. But, that aside, think of the courage it would require to face a lion in a pit on any day. Here was a person of high bravery, who would face the wildbeasts and prevail. It is further noted that he was held in as high regard as the Three, higher than the Thirty. He was the head of David's bodyguards. I guess so. May we face and overcome the wildbeasts in our own experience.
June 5 - Acts 3:1-10
Wonderful things have happened in the church from the earliest of times. John and Peter were going into the temple to worship. At the gate called Beautiful they came across a lame beggar who asked them for money. "Look at us!" they told him. He was expecting to receive alms from them. What he got was what he needed most...to walk, to run, to jump, and to praise God for a miracle. If you had been crippled since birth and suddenly found yourself cured, what would be the first thing you would do? Laugh? Cry? Run? Shout? Perhaps all of these things. That is what the lame man did. Most importantly he praised God for the gift of walking. "We do not have silver or gold," Peter said, "but what we have we give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Focus for a minute on the power of the name of Jesus. There is power there beyond all the silver and gold of the world. The real secret of strength and joy is revealed here in this true story from the early church. Think about it.
June 6 - Acts 4:1-31
Here is a day in the life of the early church. It begins in the courts of the temple. Peter and John's preaching get them into trouble with the authorities. Note the two key elements of preaching in the early church: Jesus and the resurrection. Jesus is the messiah, God's chosen one. He comes to usher in the new day of joy and gladness. This Jesus was killed by people who did not understand; but God raised Jesus from the dead. Those who believe in Jesus will find salvation; and the result will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There is no other name by which to be saved. Notice that they could not help speaking. They were under divine compulsion. The apostles prayed for boldness to speak the word in the face of opposition. They were jailed overnight for their faithful speaking, but the church continued to grow in numbers and in power. Note, finally, the intriguing detail in verse thirty one, that the place where they were meeting was shaken following their prayer. It was a time of powerful beginnings. May the church always know such boldness and spiritual power.
June 7 - Acts 5:12-42
We find two streams of meaning in this passage of scripture. First, the apostles continued the tradition of healing works which Jesus inaugurated. See Mark 6:55-56 for a summary of this work. As Moses carried with him something of the light of heaven when he came down from the mountain, so the apostles carry some of the glory of the Christ into the events beyond his death and resurrection. This means that Christ was still with his followers even though they could not see him. His power was still present, and will always be so in the church, though miraculous healings, like the light on Moses' countenance gradually faded. The second stream is the opposition of the Sadducees who refused to believe in the resurrection. They were the leaders of the opposition, fueled by disbelief and jealousy. It was a bitter pill for them to swallow that an angel confirmed the testimony of the apostles, for they did not believe in angels either. The truth of Jesus and the resurrection to new life was powerfully confirmed in the face of the objectors of that day.
June 8 - 1 Kings 4:1-34
In this chapter of the Bible we find the lists of Solomon's officials. Their names probably mean little to us, but remember that God's plans are tied into history. There are people involved. There is territory involved. God works with human beings and with nations. Nothing here about an absentee God, an ethereal force or an abstract idea. God is willing to become involved in the lives of the people. Here also is the record of the extent of Solomon's kingdom...from the river (The Euphrates) to Egypt. It is remembered in glowing terms. The people were as numerous as the sand of the sea. They were happy and filled with good food and drink. Each lived in safety, under his own vine and fig tree. Note also that Solomon was a teacher. He taught Biology. Well, at least he described plant life and animal life. He wrote three thousand proverbs and one thousand and five songs. His wisdom was known everywhere. This record still affects boundary discussions in Israel.
June 9 - 1 Kings 8:22-56
It was a great day for Israel. The temple of the Lord had been completed. The Ark of the Covenant had been carried inside the most holy place. God presence was seen in the cloud descending upon the temple. God's glory came into the temple. King Solomon prayed a prayer of thanksgiving in which he named the sacred name of God. Then, in the verses listed above, Solomon prayed for the nation. Have you heard of the "all seeing eye"? Verse twenty nine is a reference to it. It is pictured on our dollar bills. The prayer was for God to see and hear the prayers directed toward the temple. There is a listing of occasions for praying: wrong doing, defeat by enemies, drought, famine, war, captivity. Note that even the alien is included in this prayer. Solomon asks God to forgive the sins of the people. Verse fifty six was important then, and is important now...that God keeps all the promises God makes. Not a word fails. In our struggles as a people is it not a help to remember that? God will not fail us. People will let us down. God will not.
June 10 - Acts 8:1-12
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church," said an early church leader. The church was and, in some areas of the world, still is subject to persecution. This particular incident was a great persecution of the church in Jerusalem. The apostles stayed and endured. The other believers scattered, and in doing so spread the teachings of the church to other regions. The persecution did not stop the church, but rather aided the spread of the good news. Philip the evangelist went down to a Samaritan city. Remember that there was animosity between Jews and Samaritans. But Philip's preaching converted the hearers. Evil spirits were cast out. Infirmities were healed. Signs of the kingdom abounded. Even an old magician, Simon, believed and was baptized. What did Philip preach? The good news (gospel), the Kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus. And both men and women were included in the baptism of our Lord.
June 11 - Psalm 129
From all over the world they traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. As they traveled over the roads leading to the city they sang the Psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent. Psalm 129 is one of these Psalms. It is a song against oppressors. From the earliest days these enemies have oppressed Israel. The pilgrims would recall the journey of the people (and thus their own journey) through the land of Egypt and the wilderness, the struggles in the promised land, the adversaries, the raiders. The opponents have caused much sorrow, but they have not prevailed. They have not gained the victory. This was the joyful cry of this sweet song of Zion. The enemies have not prevailed. The picture of a field being plowed is used. Israel was plowed, deep furrows dug into the land, like the stripes on a victim's back made by the cruel whip. Israel did not save herself. It was the righteous God who cut the lines connecting the plow to the animals. The oppressor goes on plowing without knowing that the cords have been cut. It is to no avail. God has set them free. It was a song of joy. It still is.
June 12 - Acts 8:14-25
This is a sad chapter in the life of the early church. Peter and John were sent into Samaria to strengthen the life of the church which was beginning to grow there. The apostles found that those who had been baptized had not yet received the Holy Spirit. By the laying on of hands the spirit was given to the believers. The early connection between baptism and the Holy Spirit was again emphasized. But this gift was not to come to Simon Magus, the magician. Though baptized by Philip he proved to be insincere. In this passage it is clearly seen that his willingness to believe was based not on his own sense of sin, but on his will to power. He wanted to advance his own selfish ends by way of the church. It was to fail. Peter and John called him into account. They urged him to repent, but there is no record that he did. So throughout history this Simon's name is linked with those who would attempt to buy spiritual office or spiritual power, which is called "simony". This kind of person should not surprise the Christian. Go back and read the parable of the sower.
June 13 - Psalm 130
This is one of the great Psalms. It is great because it begins with the recognition of the despair which grips all of us at times. There is not one of us who has not been in the depths, in over our heads, and cried out for help. The Psalmist knew, and tells us, where to go for mercy. "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord." Go to the Lord, who is the source of forgiveness. Sin is a basic cause of despair. We are sinners. It is impossible to cleanse ourselves. It is difficult to forgive ourselves even when we have been forgiven. Sins of others are difficult to forgive. Sin is a web of conflict with ourselves and others. It is an abyss of self-doubt and remorse. Verse five tells us to put our hope in the Lord and his word. With God is full forgiveness. God will redeem Israel, and you, from the depths of sin. The New Testament says that if we confess our sins, Christ is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Think about it.
June 14 - Acts 9:1-25
One great Christian of our day came to Christ by a process of reasoning, of careful thought. He said that he went for a drive with his brother. When he left he was not a Christian. When he returned he was. It was a quiet conversion. He simply stepped across a line. Not so for Paul (here called Saul). Paul was an angry persecutor of the "Way." He was on a journey to Damascus to arrest Christians, when he experienced a blazing light which left him blind. A voice followed the light, and Paul had his first encounter with the risen Jesus. In the uncertain days which followed, Paul experienced a Divine reversal. He began to defend the faith he had sought to destroy. Both kinds of conversion experience are valid. It is the change in ones life and action that is important. How has the faith changed you?
June 15 - Acts 9:31
This one verse is like the closing line of the second act of a drama. The first act was composed of the events around Jerusalem immediately following Christ's ascension...Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, the certitude of the early church. Act two consist of the growing opposition to the church which turns violent in the execution of Stephen, the first martyr. A general persecution of Christians followed that event. Believers (and their beliefs) were scattered throughout the near east. Paul was a part of this process. He raised havoc with the church, but was dramatically converted. This verse marks a transition. It is like an oasis in the middle of a journey through the desert. It reflects a brief season of refreshing. There are times like that in the most stressful days. How blessed are the times (like the worship hour) when we are strengthened, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, when our faith deepens and we are at peace. Lord send us showers of blessings.
June 16 - Acts 10:1-23, 34-36
This passage has been called the "Gentile Pentecost." Remember that those assembled in Jerusalem were Jews. Here a great boundary line is being crossed. Not only could Jews be Christians, but the non-Jews as well. The visions of Cornelius and Peter are the charter for mission work among the nations of the world. Peter was to come to the understanding that not only were all foods available to him, but that all people were allowed to receive the grace of God in Christ. It sounds commonplace to us. But to them it was a decidedly new departure. God accepts people from every nation. Jesus Christ is not simply the Jewish messiah, but the "Lord of all." As Peter preached the Holy Spirit descended upon all who heard...both Jew and Gentile. They were all baptized into the faith. It was a great day for the church. The circle of faith had been enlarged. You and I stand therein because of this courageous action. Everyone who believes in Christ receives forgiveness of sins. It is a world wide movement now.
June 17 - 1 Kings 18:15-39
Elijah was the greatest of the prophets. He appeared, along with the Law receiver, Moses, on the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus' choice of the cross was confirmed by Almighty God. Add to that fact that Elijah is recorded as not dying, but being taken directly into heaven on a fiery chariot (2 Kings, chapter two), and you clearly see his greatness. In this passage he challenges 450 prophets of Baal. This pagan deity was being worshiped in Israel in direct violation of the commandments. Here Elijah proposes a test. Build two altars. Place sacrifices on them. Let the two groups call on their deities and see which responds. The pagan priests cried out half of the day and got no answer. Elijah soaks the sacrifice and the wood on the altar of the Lord. Water filled a trench dug around the altar. In a twinkling the Lord God sent fire to burn up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil. The people were convinced. They cried out, "The Lord--he is God." In our pluralistic culture we find many false gods promising a quick fix. They are distractions. They fail to truly satisfy. The people spoke to truth for all times.
June 18 - 1 Kings 19:1-12
Even the greatest of prophets was not immune to despair. Following the success on Mt. Carmel Elijah finds himself a fugitive. He flees into the desert south of Beersheba, the traditional southern boundary of Israel. Finding some refuge under a broom tree he pleads with God to let him die in the desert. We have all experienced the ups and downs of life. And at times we have all wondered if life was worth it. You do not have to contemplate suicide to feel despondent. Elijah's frustration and doubt got the best of him. In the solitude of the desert an angel came to him. It is to be remembered that he saw the angel and believed what was said. He was given help to lift his spirit. The help was food and a mission. He was to journey to Horeb, the Mountain of God. A time apart, rest, refreshment, and a mission are elements of a cure for the blues. Elijah met God on the mountain, not in the wind, the earthquake, the fire, though he experienced all of them. God he met in a gentle whisper. The mighty God spoke gently to one in need. Think about it.
June 19 - Acts 13:1-5
Here is a snapshot of an early church. Notice that the power of the gospel had brought together the most diverse types of people. Manaen was an aristocrat. Saul was an ex-Pharisee of the most rigid type. Barnabas owned land in Cyprus. Lucius was a Greek-speaking Jew from Cyrene. Simeon Niger was undoubtedly from Africa, and probably was black. All of these are seen in this picture. It shows the power of Jesus to bring together all people of all stations and races. The key to their fellowship was worship: they "were worshiping the Lord," they fasted, they prayed, they set apart two of their best teachers for a missionary journey. By the laying on of hands they consecrated them for the task of carrying the message of Jesus to other cities and lands. Their fellowship was warm and loving. Their unity was that of a family...not always agreeing, but committed to each other. It is good to look at that snapshot and remember that the church was growing and thriving.
June 20 - Acts 13:42-52
Paul and Barnabas were in Pisidian Antioch. They were invited to speak in the synagogue. Paul's sermon is recorded in the early verses of chapter thirteen. Forgiveness of sins and justification by faith were his two main points of emphasis (see verses 38-39). In the verses listed for today we find Paul invited to speak again and the evidence of growing opposition. The Jews were jealous. They incited violence against Paul and Barnabas. The exact nature of the action against them is not given, but it was sufficient to cause them to leave the area. They had testified to the Jews and had been rejected. They had turned to the Gentiles and found a willing audience. The result was a violent opposition. As they left they shook the dust from their shoes as a testimony against the persecutors. But note the message of the last verse (52): "The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Here is a wonderful message to all the followers of Christ. Joy in the Holy Spirit is not reserved for times of peace and prosperity alone. Joy exists in trial and tumult as well as in the golden days of peace. Joy is a gift of the encounter with the Spirit of God and is not limited to placid days. Cogitate on that a bit.
June 21 - Psalm 139:1-12
Psalm 139 is a song of great comfort. While it is not always comfortable to think that God knows our every thought, it is, upon reflection, a great blessing to think that the God of heaven and earth, the God who made all worlds that are and all that ever will be, that God knows me personally. I am not a speck of sand on an island beach, surrounded by a silent sea. I am not a feather on the back of the hand waiting for the chill wind to blow toward the dead land. No, I am one who is known personally by the Lord of time and space. I could not go anywhere that God cannot find me, to encourage me and care for me. The Psalmist chooses the extremes as examples: sheol is the place of the dead, beneath the earth; heaven is in the heights, above the arched firmament of the sky. If I fly to the wings of the dawn, to the east, or to the far side of the western sea, God still guides me and holds me safely in God's hand. Even if I hide in the deepest darkness, the darkness and the light are the same to the God who cares. We are never alone. We are always in God's care.
June 22 - Acts 14:8-20
Lystra, the home of Timothy, was located in what is today south central Turkey. It was a Roman colony, with many aristocrats. Note that Paul does not go to a Jewish synagogue here, as is the normal procedure. Perhaps there was none. He speaks to the crowd of non-Jews. He heals a man lame from birth. The Roman colonists assumed that Paul and Barnabas were gods come to earth, which is consistent with Roman religion, and immediately tried to offer sacrifices to them. They did not want to "neglect" any of their gods. Paul and Barnabas had a difficult time convincing them that they were not gods, but messengers of the true God, bringing them good news. Paul does not begin with the law or prophets, but with nature, with God's providence. God always has a testimony. The rain in due season, the fields filled with harvest bear witness to the true God. At first the crowds listened; but some Jews from neighboring towns came and suggested, perhaps, that if they were not gods their miraculous power came from demons. The crowd was swayed and Paul was stoned, thrown out of town, left for dead. Dead he was not. And the church begun in Lystra became a part of the Galatian churches to which Paul wrote his New Testament letter.
June 23 - 2 Kings 4:18-44
This is a record of three miracles of the prophet Elisha. First, the Shunamite's son is revived. Note that this is not a resurrection. The boy would eventually die. Resurrection is to everlasting life. Second, a pot of poisoned stew is neutralized. Third, twenty cakes of barley bread are multiplied to feed a hundred people. Two of these miracles are echoed in the ministry of Jesus. He revived Lazarus. Jesus twice fed a multitude...one a crowd of four thousand and the other a crowd of five thousand. The people of Jesus' day would no doubt recall this. They had to know that someone greater than the prophets was present in Jesus. Elisha, whose name means "God is salvation", turned the hearts of the people toward God, who, indeed, was their salvation. He was one of the forerunners of Jesus.
June 24 - Acts 16:1-15
The second missionary journey of Paul begins. He travels to Derbe and Lystra, picking up Timothy there. They traveled from town to town preaching, teaching, and telling of the decision of the elders in Jerusalem that the Gentiles would not have to keep all the Jewish religious practices (Acts 15:1-35). The church grew in two ways: the numbers of converts grew daily, and the church was strengthened in faith. It seems that when the church is truly growing you find growth in numbers and growth in faith. The remainder of this passage is a transition of great importance. Paul is called to venture into Europe. Up to this point the Gospel had been preached in the what we call the near east. Here it goes beyond its homeland and into a new continent. It is an important decision. Note also that Paul meets Lydia, a wealthy woman, who assists him in his ministry to Europe. You and I are Christians this day because Paul heard, believed, and acted upon his vision of a man of Macedonia. So many things depend upon this triad of hearing, believing, and acting.
June 25 - Acts 16:16-34
Jews were given a great deal of tolerance under Roman domination. They were free to practice their religion. They must not, however, convert Roman citizens. "Leave the Romans alone," was the rule. In this series of events we see a Roman girl who was possessed of a demon. When Paul, who was perceived as a Jew, cast out the demon, the girls owners accused Paul of converting her. That is why the trouble began, owners angry at losing income from a slave and the Roman ban on conversion. Paul and Silas were seized, beaten, and cast into prison. The succeeding events show the influence upon the jailer. He repented his sins and was baptized. His whole household was also baptized. Did this include infants? It does not say. In truth we do not know, one way or the other. But the important thing is that this fearful jailer, who carried lights into their jail cells, received the light of life in that darkest midnight. Interesting that Paul and Silas were singing hymns in the dark. They were beaten and in prison, yet they sang songs. Think about it.
June 26 - Acts 17:16-34
Paul speaks in the ancient center of culture and learning. It was here that all the philosophers were remembered: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Athens also contained large groups of the leading philosophies of the day: Stoicism and Epicureanism. Here Paul spoke in the market place and on Mars Hill (Areopagus) to a group interested in ideas. They thought at first that he was supporting a pair of deities, male and female, "Jesus" and "Resurrection." He turned their attention in a different direction by recalling the altar "To a god Unknown." It was a God unknown to them that he would proclaim. He quotes from two ancient Greek poets, Epimenides and Aratus, in order to affirm their own cultures interest in truth about religion. Then, in the center of thought of the ancient world, he proclaimed the One God revealed in Jesus the Christ, and affirmed by the resurrection. It was a bold, reasoned approach. Some scoffed. We may expect that. But others believed...Dionysius and Damaris and others. Paul left a beginning church in Athens. We can and may confront the worldly philosophies of this day and succeed.
June 27 - Acts 18:1-17
Paul stayed in Corinth a year and a half. The church began and grew. He got a job with a fellow tentmaker, Aquila, and stayed with his family. Paul eagerly testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. Eventually, however, many of them refused to believe. Paul turned to the Gentiles. Many of them, and not a few Jews, came to believe. A vision gave him the words of the Lord: "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent!" That is a good word for witnesses in all ages, even this non-religious age in which we live. Note that the Proconsul Gallio refused to listen to the Jews, holding that this was an internal Jewish dispute. Gallio was brother to the Roman philosopher Seneca. His proconsulship is dated A.D. 51-52. This tells us the years that Paul was in Corinth. The gospel continued to be preached. The church grew, in the face of much opposition.
June 28 - Acts 18:24-28
Here comes another wandering preacher. There must have been a number of them in the early days of the church. Many details about him are given. He is learned and familiar with scripture. His family is from Alexandria, a center of learning in the ancient world. He speaks with an "ardent spirit." Surprisingly, he is deficient in baptism, knowing only the baptism of John the Baptist, a baptism of repentance. In Ephesus he is given instruction by both Priscilla and Aquila. (Thus both men and women taught in the early church.) Apollos becomes a powerful debater, energetically refuting the Jews, proving from the scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah. Later Apollos would become a great teacher in the church at Corinth. Paul was to refer to him as a fellow Christian worker (1 Corinthians 3:4). This passage gives us a little picture of life in the early church. It was a time of growth and expansion and danger. In those days people of various backgrounds worked together for Christ and the church. It is still that way today.
June 29 - Acts 19:8-20
Paul began in the synagogue if one was available. It was a place where questions of religion were welcomed. There was a long memory of the law and the prophets. It was familiar ground. Does it not help to have a group of folks already familiar with the background for what you are about to say? For three months he was in the synagogue, teaching, debating; but that time came to an end. Some were "hardened" and would not listen. So Paul hired a hall and taught there for two years. Thus "all" of Asia had the opportunity to hear, if not all to believe, that Jesus was Lord. The passage about the magicians is interesting. Ephesus was full of magicians. We should not be surprised that the one who spoke to the philosophers in Athens should speak to the magicians in Ephesus. Some tried to misuse the name of Jesus and found it risky. Some remembered their sins of the past and repented, burning their old magic scrolls. Many, perhaps most, magicians were charlatans, seeking only money or fame. But some, let us say in their behalf, did try to help people who could find help in no other way. That this was a real need can be seen by remembering the gospel stories of crowds seeking Jesus, and by noting verses eleven and twelve of this chapter.
June 30 - 2 Kings 17:1-41
This is one of the saddest chapters in the Old Testament. First we find the account of the fall of Samaria, capital city of the northern kingdom, called Israel. Israel and Judah (the southern kingdom) had been at odds since the division of the united kingdom of Israel following the death of Solomon. There were bound to be bitter feelings, but they were still of the same people, a part of the children of Abraham. The land, both north and south, was Israel, the Promised Land. In this chapter the northern part is conquered, the people deported to Assyria. In their place other peoples were sent as colonists, to inhabit the cities of the northern kingdom. The people of the Old Testament had to weep when they read this chapter. The reasons for the loss were stated. After long patience the Lord "swept them from his sight..." Historically, the feelings of the Jews toward the Samaritans are explained by this chapter. We notice those feelings in the New Testament and today.
July 1 - Acts 21:1-14
This transitional passage is a travel itinerary for Paul. He journeyed from Miletus to Caesarea through Tyre. All along the journey there were warnings that he was headed into difficulty. It is more than interesting that he was not deterred by these messages. He was determined. He faced the future not as one condemned to a harsh fate, but as one who had already risked all in the service of the Lord of time and history. Here was a reasoned, seasoned commitment. It is also more than interesting that in every place someone met him. He was not alone. There were small but powerful groups of believers in every city. It was evidence of the rightness of his choices, evidence of the power of the Spirit to call into being the church, centered in the Word. Look at the people: families in Tyre, Philip and his prophet daughters in Caesarea, and Agabus the prophet again. All greeted him, supported him, understood his decision, and committed him to the Lord's protective care. It is a wonderful section about caring for each other. Think about it.
July 2 - 2 Kings 20:1-20
This chapter completes the story of King Hezekiah of Judah, who loved the Lord and walked in the way of David. He had become king when he was twenty five years of age, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty nine years. Hezekiah removed the false idols and the hill top shrines. He kept the commandments of God. During his reign the Philistines were conquered as far as the outskirts of Gaza. This does not mean that his time was without trouble. He survived an invasion of Judah by the world power Assyria. It was his prayer that moved God to send an angel to lift the siege of Jerusalem. In this chapter we find that he suffered from an infected boil. God heard his plea for help and added fifteen years to his life. The healing was confirmed by the miracle of the shadow on the sun dial, one of the great miraculous events of all time. Note: that the prophet involved was Isaiah; note his great engineering project that brought water into Jerusalem; note also his mistake in revealing his wealth and weapons to the fledgling power, Babylon.
July 3 - 2 Kings 23:1-30
Josiah, whose name means "whom God heals," is one of the great Kings of Judah. The land, under evil Manasseh and Amon, had sunk to great idolatries...child sacrifice, temple prostitution, idols to many false gods. Josiah swept all of this away and restored worship of the Lord. It was a time of cleansing and healthy change. The trigger for the change was the discovery of the Book of the Law in the temple. When presented to the king he showed great repentance and launched his campaign to restore the covenant relation with God. Josiah reinstituted the Passover. The joy of the occasion would still bring tears to the eyes of the believing Jew. Not since the ancient days, the days of the Judges, had any such Passover been observed. It was a time of restoration and renewal, a great revival had begun.
July 4 - 2 Kings 24:1-25:21
This long reading is another very sad chapter in the history of Israel. Judah and Jerusalem are captured. The walls of Jerusalem are torn down. The important buildings are burned. The leaders and artists are all taken into exile. And the Temple of the Living God is destroyed. The writer pauses in verse three...you can almost see the tears in his eyes...and reflects that surely the sins of the wicked Manasseh caused the Lord to bring this trouble on his own chosen people, his chosen city. In verse twenty one of chapter twenty five we see that great sadness swell to the surface again. Each word is as a drumbeat of a funeral procession: "So Judah went into captivity, away from her land." It is a sad and sobering chapter, a warning to any nation that forsakes the Living God to go after idols, folly, sins. We have much to be thankful for in our wonderful country. Our freedoms are precious and dearly bought. May we too remember why Judah was swept aside by the Lord, and keep faith in the one, true God.
July 5 - Acts 23:11-35
Paul's life is again in danger, this time from the Jewish enemies of the Apostle. Having failed to legally bring about his death, they chose the route of assassination. The plan was to bring him once more before the Jewish high court. His death would occur on the way to the meeting place. Forty men are involved in this fasting plot. It is interesting that Paul's family had not abandoned him. It is his sister's son who reports the plot, first to Paul, then to the Tribune. That the threat was real is clearly shown in the response. Under the guise of a military maneuver Paul, possibly in disguise, was taken out of town that very night. Four hundred and seventy soldiers accompanied this prisoner. Most interesting is the vision that Paul had of the Lord standing beside him. He was never alone, even in prison. He still had his mission out ahead of him. And the risen Lord made known his glory again, to the Apostle's great joy. Even in the distress of persecution the Lord was with him. "Be of good courage!" he was told. It is a message for all times, all circumstances.
July 6 - Acts 24:1-27
The high priest was a Sadducee. He was accompanied, no doubt, by other Sadducees, who did not believe in any resurrection nor in angel messengers. They had hired a lawyer with a Roman name. Paul refuted their charges, clearly indicated that he was no threat to the peace, and stated that the ones causing the trouble were not even present. Nothing much seems to happen here. There is a charge and a refutation. The Roman Procurator, Felix, listens and then sets a later date for trial. It all seems routine. But underneath is the issue of the place of the Christian movement in the Roman scheme of things. If the "Way" is a part of the Jewish faith, then it was exempt from the harsh persecution of non-Roman religions. Rome was hard on religions other that Roman, but the Jews were given special privilege. Paul is arguing to keep the faith as the true Israel in the eyes of the Romans, and thus avoid much blood shed in the little Christian communities scattered across the empire. The place of religion in public life is always an important issue. It is today.
July 7 - Acts 25:1-12
The greedy Felix had left Paul imprisoned in Caesarea. Recalled to Rome in 58 A.D., he barely escaped with his life, and that through influential friends in Octavian's court. His successor was Porcius Festus, whose reputation was as good as Felix's was bad. Three days after arriving in Caesarea he went to Jerusalem to confer with the Jewish leaders. The Jews, thinking that they would be able to influence Festus before he became established in his new post, pressed him to bring Paul to Jerusalem. But Festus was enough of a leader that he was not rushed into such an act. Perhaps he saw their intent revealed when they said: do this "as a favor" to us. If it was the right thing to do why would they need a "favor"? At any rate Paul was kept at Caesarea until he would once again face his accusers. When Festus asked Paul if he would willing go to Jerusalem, as a favor to the Jews, was he beginning to waver, or did he strongly suspect that Paul would never assent to such a move? The answer is in Paul's reply that he would appeal to Caesar, and thus mandate a trial in Rome. Paul was to stand before Nero.
July 8 - Acts 26:1-32
Herod Agrippa the second was the last of the Herod family to rule in parts of Palestine from 40 B.C. to 100 A.D. The family had Jewish blood, but did not practice the faith. They were servants of the Romans, and thus had a position among educated Romans and Greeks. At times they were ruthless in controlling the populace, and ruthless with their own families. Paul makes his defense before this powerful, but petty, tyrant. Note several things: 1. Paul was traveling to Damascus at noon. Hardly anyone traveled during the heat of the day. This shows that he was unusually zealous in carrying out his persecution; 2. Verse eighteen contains a wonderful statement of the purpose of Paul's life. Two purposes each with three layers of meaning are stated. To give the Gentiles a "place" means that they are allowed to participate in the worship of the One God. 3. Note Agrippa's rodomontade, a blustery little statement which avoids giving an answer. Agrippa was another of the many who hear the gospel, are able to believe, but choose to reject it, neglect it. He was worldly, wicked, somewhat educated. Sounds much like today.
July 9 -Acts 27:1-20
They should not have sailed at all. It was late in the season for ships to leave for Rome. Sailing was a tenuous business, with the little vessels hugging the shore, at the mercy of the winds and waves. It would have been wiser to lay over for the winter and begin the journey with the fair weather of spring. But Festus sent them on. Perhaps he was anxious to be rid of this problem with the Jews. At any rate, they left Caesarea and followed a zigzag course toward Rome. Arriving at last in the port of Fair Havens on the southern coast of Crete they decided to go a little further, seeking winter refuge in the better port of Phoenix, further west on the coast. It was not to be. The southern breeze which prompted them to sail soon turned around to the northeast, gained strength, forced them away from any land, pushing them along with hurricane winds. For two weeks they were driven by the storm, fearing death at any time. They had seen no sun or stars. The storm continued pushing them away from their destination. A day came when they had lost all hope, Luke records in verse twenty. All hope was gone. But it is not allowed not to hope. Hope in the greatest storm is possible for one in Christ.
July 10 - Acts 27:21-44
Paul gives a message from God. "Do not be afraid," he tells his companions. An angel had delivered the message at night, in the storm. Note the sequence in verse twenty three: the God "whose I am" and "whom I serve"; then the command not to be afraid. There is much meaning in that sequence. As the ship neared land they did what all of us have had to do in some dark night...put out the anchors and pray for daylight. With the dawn Paul takes bread, given thanks, breaks bread, and eats. This order calls to mind the Lord's Supper. Whether or not this is what happened the result is similar for all of us in any storm. We find strength and courage in the means of Grace, especially the Lord's Supper. There were dangers from the sea, and from people. The sailors wanted to guarantee their own safety, and thus tried to escape alone. It is by the mercies of God that the words of verse forty four could be written. "Everyone reached land in safety." May such grace always accompany us in the storm.
July 11 - Acts 28:1-16
Malta is an island, sixty miles south of Sicily. The great storm had carried Paul and the others closer to his final destination, rather than toward the sand bars off the coast of Africa, as they had feared. Here was safety...a beach, a fire, a welcome. It must have been a great relief to stand on solid ground after the uncertain waves of the storm. The details of the viper, the Chief, the healings add to our appreciation of the person. Paul was obedient to a greater vision, but he did not neglect the daily practicalities. He was a very practical person. The details also reveal the steady movement of the will of God, to have Paul go to Rome. The Gospel must be preached in Rome. Paul was under orders to go. What God commands God enables. So after a short stay of three months, they set out again. It was a boat with a figurehead of Castor and Pollus, the Dioscuri, believed by pagans to be a help to sailors, that at last brings Paul into the sea port which served Rome, Puteoli. The book begins to close with the dramatic announcement, "And so we came to Rome." Paul the tent maker arrives in the world's capital, to speak for the Lord of Lords, before the Emperor, who was called the "king of kings."
July 12 - Acts 28:17-31
Welcomed by fellow believers and lodged in a rented house, with only one guard, Paul begins to speak about Jesus. Note that he begins with the Jews in Rome. They are invited to hear his words. So, beginning with the books of the Law of God and continuing on through the Old Testament prophets, he seeks to convince them that Jesus was the suffering Messiah, crucified and raised from the dead. Many believe. Many do not. There was a division among them. It is always so, for all times and peoples. Many in our own day do not believe. The current of our times is often against the faith. Not many accurate pictures of the faith are presented in the larger media of our day. But many believe. On any given weekend in America forty percent of the people are worshipping God. There are many millions of believers. Many churches are growing. The Gospel still has its power to challenge and change lives. It is still the power of God for the saving of the people. It is for us, to save us. Think about it.
July 13 - 1 Chronicles 16:1-36
Interesting historical records here. The King brings the Ark of the Covenant from the home of Obed-Edom to Jerusalem. This is done with much singing and praising. The role of the priests and levites is emphasized. Even David wears the linen ephod usually reserved for the high priest. David was consolidating the kingdom. Jerusalem had been a city held by the Jebusites. So its conquest gave David a city in the center of the nation which had belonged neither to the north or the south. By bringing the Ark to Jerusalem he was centralizing the worship and thus adding unity to the country. It was a joyful time of celebration. Perhaps this was the background for the fall feast of tabernacles. The Psalm, which takes up the balance of this reading, is a song of David. Sections of this psalm are found in the Book of Psalms. In it the earth, the heavens, the seas, the fields, and the trees of the forest are called on to sing before the Lord. All things are to praise God and glorify God's name. We all need a few great days of this kind of celebration.
July 14 - 1 Chronicles 17:15-27
David has just heard the word of the Lord, through the prophet Nathan, that the Lord will make David's name great, that he will provide a place for his people, and that the Lord will build up David's house, will give him strength, will expand his nation. Then David prays to the Lord. He asks him, "Who am I, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" It is not a boast, but a surprise and a thanksgiving. Remember that this particular book was written by one who lived after Israel had been divided, after the northern kingdom had been carried into slavery, and after Jerusalem had been sacked and burned, its people carried away, its king removed from the throne. Because the chronicler had experienced these great sorrows, it is of great importance to him to remember David's prayer. David confessed to God that there is no other god like the Almighty, that God had chosen Israel to be his very own people forever, and he asked that God establish David's line in Israel. The Chronicler was living in that hope.
July 15 - 1 Chronicles 21:1-26
Here comes the old accuser, Satan, stirring up trouble in Israel. Note that there is no "article" before the word, which means that Satan is a person, with his own character, rather that just an official accuser. What the problem with the census was no one seems to know for sure, but it brings a powerful response from God. Through the prophet Gad, David is given three choices, none of which is good. David's choice results in the death of many people, but the point of the whole story is yet to come. It was at a place called the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite that the death angel was stopped. David was told to build an altar on that spot. David purchased the field, built the altar, offered sacrifices which were accepted dramatically by the fire from heaven. This was the spot, chosen by God. This was the place for centralized worship. Here was the location for the temple of the Living God, which David's son was to build.
July 16 - Romans 3:20-30
Here is an important boundary line. On one side of the boundary line are those who think that people are right with God when they keep the Old Testament law. On the other side of the boundary are those who think that no one person is good enough to keep the whole Old Testament law. For these folks, the law teaches us how much we really are in need, as a line drawn by a ruler shows how crooked a hand drawn line really is. If a person cannot keep the whole law, how can anyone be acceptable to God? Sinners, on both sides of the boundary, are made acceptable to God by Jesus. Jesus offered himself as an offering of atonement, a perfect offering acceptable to God. We, then, may come to God by believing in the sacrifice of Jesus. By faith we are accepted. There is only one God. This is an Old Testament principle. So people on both sides of the boundary line are God's folks, and all are made acceptable by faith in Jesus. This is a new time, when all who are "far off" are brought near to God. All of us, old and young, tall and short, saints and sinners, may come to God by faith in Christ.
July 17 - Romans 4:1-12
What about Abraham, the father of the country of Israel? Was he acceptable to God because of what he did for God? The scripture says that Abraham believed in God and it was counted as being accepted by God (read Genesis 15:6). Later on Abraham was circumcised as a sign of that faith, not as a reward for what he did. So then, Abraham is "father" both of those on one side of that boundary, who believe in circumcision, and of those who are uncircumcised but believe in Jesus. Those on that side of the boundary line walk in the footsteps of the faith that Abraham had before he was circumcised. So the good news of salvation is available to all people, not just those literally descended from Abraham. The common thread is belief, faith. But we know that. We have heard it all our lives. God is available to us. The real question is whether or not we are available to God. Do we believe? Abraham believed way back in history, without much information. Can we believe this day, with all the information we need about Jesus? Will we? Think about it.
July 18 - Romans 5:1-5
These verses are surely among the most blessed in the Bible. They are the conclusion to the lengthy logical argument Paul was writing to the Romans. Here the good news in Christ breaks the limits of prose, and flows into poetry. Paul says we are justified by faith, we find peace with God and find access into God's grace. The word Paul uses for access means three things, according to William Barclay: first, it is the word used for bringing a person into the presence of royalty. It is an introduction to the ruler. Second, the word is the word used of a person brought into the very presence of God in worship. Trembling with joy we are ushered into the presence of the Lord God. And, in the third place, the word is used to mean shelter, safety, a safe harbor, a haven. What do we find when we come into the very presence of God? Wrath? Judgment? No! By faith in Christ we find such a great accepting love that we can even overcome our sufferings. This is a great truth. It is for you and me. What can we say except "Hallelujah."
July 19 - 1 Chronicles 28:1-21
This is a part of David's final speech to his leaders. He had ruled over Israel for forty years. His accomplishments were many. His sins, though well known, were few. Here he bequeaths his accomplishments and his dreams for the future temple, to his son, Solomon. He gives Solomon a charge to follow the commands of the Lord. The "if" in verse seven is important. David encourages Solomon to "Be strong and do the work." These are good words for all of those who stand in the following of these truths. David adds other words to strengthen the will: "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you." Fear not! Do not be discouraged! Great words. There are times when they are hard to follow. It was so for David; but he found his way through despair. Those who draw near to God in the faith of Jesus may also know the rescue from despair and discouragement available to all who will place their days in the hands of Jesus the Christ. When we turn to Christ the words make sense. Think about it. Pray about it.
July 20 - 2 Chronicles 3:1-17
The Bible is a book of beginnings. Here the building of the Temple of the Almighty God begins. There were many faithful who never saw that day: Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, Joseph and Moses, Joshua and Deborah, Samuel and David, and many more. The temple was built on Mount Zion, on a spot provided by David. Chapters one, two, and three provide many details of the building...the letters, the workers, the gold, the yarns and linen. Chapter three was (and is) a great chapter for the Israelites who remembered and longed for a restoration of Israel. They had gone through the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. They had suffered through long years of exile. But God is faithful. So they anticipated the restored temple. They longed for one who was from the lineage of David, who would provide a new beginning. It was to be so in Christ Jesus. God always gives new beginnings to his people. Isn't that good news?
July 21 - 2 Chronicle 5:1-14
It was the Feast of Tabernacles, the fall festival of harvest, when the people built temporary shelters to live in, reminding them of the years of living in such shelters in the wilderness. A procession of Levitical priests carry the sacred Ark of the Covenant from its temporary site to the temple. Several priests place the ark in the Most Holy Place, although normally only the high priest entered the Most Holy Place, and that only once a year. But here the priests enter and locate the Ark in its permanent home. That they withdrew alive indicates that God accepted this location. The worship service included all the priests. One hundred and twenty trumpets sounded. Trumpeters and singers joined as one voice in praising the God of Heaven and Earth. "God is good. His love endures forever," they sang. Then the cloud which had led them by day in the wilderness comes into the temple. (The fire comes down in chapter seven.) The Sovereign God enters the temple and "sits" upon his throne in the Holy of Holies. It was a great day for all. That God comes to his people is the basis of all worship in the churches today.
July 22 - 2 Chronicles 6:12-21
Solomon is at the height of his power. He has built a magnificent temple for the Almighty God. He built his own palace. He rebuilt cities, fortified others. He created fortresses and massive stables for his chariot horses. In Jerusalem under Solomon silver was as common as stones. This mighty king, who was accustomed to having people kneel before him, now kneels before the Lord. The King is subject to God. Here is a verbal portrait of the kneeling king. It is a lesson in the success of David and Solomon. It is a lesson in the source of authority of all human government and power. Government may derive from the consent of the governed, but authority and truth and judgment come from God. When human governments reject or neglect the God of heaven and earth they lose their true authority and stand under God's judgment. We become a "secular" nation at our own peril. The avaricious secularism in our culture is a threat to the authority and power of our own government.
July 23 - Romans 8:1-6
Paul shows us the tensions which we all experience within ourselves. He calls this tugging of feelings the war between the law of sin and the law of the spirit. I am pulled to do good. I am pulled to do evil. Most often we fail to do the good we know. We do the evil, or do evil by neglecting to do good. We let things slide, and continue the war. One commentator of an earlier day called this struggle the battle of "warring queens." It certainly is an intense conflict. But Paul goes on to say that in Jesus Christ this conflict is broken up. What we were powerless to do, God did in Jesus, condemning sin and paying the price. In Christ we are set free from the struggle. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We are accepted. We are forgiven. The struggle is over. The effects of the years of war will begin to be reversed. This is one of the greatest expressions of the good news to be found in the whole Bible. It is not abstract and remote. It is not intellectual or academic. It is practical. It deals with our real problems. It is the greatest of messages. Christ sets us free. Read it again. Believe it.
July 24 - Romans 8:35-39
We can be separated from many things. In the Great Depression of the thirties many people were separated from their incomes. Many lost friends and loved ones in World War Two. In areas of urban America many people have had homes burglarized, many valuables stolen. We can lose our homes, our jobs, our cars. We can be separated from many things that we hold dear; but we cannot be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul does not speculate on this. He proclaims it. He says, "I am certain." This is a wonderful word of certainty in our uncertain days. Paul suffered much. He was imprisoned and tried before the emperor. God's love was not a thing that can be lost under stress. It cannot be stolen. It is a gift from a loving Redeemer. We shall not be separated from the love of Christ.
July 25 - 2 Chronicles 15:1-7
Asa was a King of Judah who received good marks from the Chronicler. Asa did what was good in the eyes of the Lord. He removed pagan altars and sacred stones. He urged the people to follow the Lord. Because they sought the Lord they built and prospered. God granted Asa peace in his time, and when attacked from without, God sent his Spirit with a message for the king. "The Lord is with you when you are with him. Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." Every good deed, every smile, every act of kindness is not forgotten. Seek the Lord. Believe in the Lord. Build and do not give up. Great words for our day. Meditate about it.
July 26 - 2 Chronicles 20:1-12
Stories from the Southern Kingdom of Judah are found in this part of the Bible. The Kings of Judah are recorded as being more faithful to the Almighty than the northern kings. In this passage we see an invasion coming from two nations on the east side of the Jordan River, Moab and Ammon. You might want to locate them on one of the maps in your Bible. In his prayer Jehoshaphat recalls that Israel did not attack either nation when journeying east of the Jordan, prior to entry into the promised land. Note that many elements of worship are mentioned in this and in following passages. The people fasted. They came "to seek the Lord," which means a time of worship. The King presented the dilemma before the Almighty. Judah did not have the power to withstand such an attack. The closing words are the great ones. "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." In many threatening situations this is precisely our condition. We do not know what to do, but we do know where to look. We also know where to find a worshiping community.
July 27 - 2 Chronicles 20:14-30
In this record we find an army destroying itself. The Lord set "ambushes" for the invaders. One group saw these as betrayal by one of the other groups in the coalition. The result of the ambushes was the breakdown of the coalition, with its groups turning upon each other. The Israelites had to stand firm and see the deliverance of the Lord. The Lord delivered them from eminent danger. In all our dangers and necessities may the Almighty stretch forth God's right hand to save and defend us. Note again the many elements of worship. Men were appointed to sing and praise God on the way to the battle. A line from their song is recorded. After the battle they set aside a whole day to worship God in the Valley of Beracah. And again, when they returned to Jerusalem, they worshiped in the temple with harps and lutes and trumpets. It was a great worship celebration. Jehoshaphat's kingdom was at peace. One of the results of faithfulness and worship is just that.
July 28 - 2 Chronicles 24:1-13
Joash, son of King Jehoram, was a brand plucked from the burning, a valuable treasure just saved from death. All his brothers had been killed by Athaliah, mother of the evil Ahaziah, in her bid to rule Judah. Joash was hidden in the temple, to wait for the right time to reclaim the throne. It was the priest Jehoiada (whose name means "Yahweh knows) who arranged for the coronation when Joash was seven years old. The transfer of power was accomplished and the wicked Athaliah killed. The new king reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. As long as the priest Jehoiada was alive the king received good counsel. The temple tax was reinstated and the temple was restored. The temple of the pagan god Baal was destroyed, along with its idols and priest. There was a time of renewal in the country until Joash listened to the wrong advice. Pagan worship was allowed to return and one of the prophets was killed. Bad advice brought bad results. The Arameans defeated Judah, taking much plunder, and leaving Joash severely wounded. He was murdered in his bed and buried in a place apart from the previous kings.
July 29 - Romans 12:1-21
The first two verses of this chapter contain some of the key insights of Paul concerning the Christian faith. Our proper worship is the presenting of ourselves to God, living sacrifices, in contrast to the old manner of animal sacrifice. God wants people to be alive and fit for service in the church. This is done by the renewal of our minds. The word for renewal is a Greek word which means not a new appearance, but a new nature, a new center of life. Our minds are renewed by being transformed, which indicates a change in the essential part of our personality. We are no longer to be "conformed" to the changing values and appearances of this fleeting world, but changed from within into a new person, cleansed by Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, and offering every day, every moment to the living God. It is a wonderful possibility. It is possible for us to begin, to secure such a change in our own lives. Rejoice! That is great good news.
July 30 - 2 Chronicles 26:16-23
Uzziah ruled the Kingdom of Judah for fifty two years. He was sixteen when he became king, so he was sixty eight when he died. Uzziah was successful against the Philistines, capturing Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. The Ammonites, east of the Jordan River, were subject to him. The details given in 2 Chronicles indicate that he strengthened the defenses of Jerusalem. He built wells in the foothills and in the plains. One interesting personal note tells us that he loved the earth. He was a farmer at heart, or a conservationist. "Pride goes before a fall," the old saying goes, and Uzziah fell. He tried to take the role of priest as well as king. In response to this overweening pride he was stricken with Leprosy. Uzziah was to be a leper the remainder of his days, and was thus excluded from any worship in the temple. Was he repentant? Probably so. Was he forgiven? Probably so; but his leprosy was to continue. We carry scars long after the wounds are healed. So it was for this powerful king.
July 31 - 2 Chronicles 29:1-10
Most of the kings of the southern kingdom followed the Lord faithfully. Some were better than others. Some, a few, led the people away from God. The wicked King Ahaz worshiped false gods, even sacrificing his sons in the fire of a pagan altar. He set up shrines to false deities and closed the temple of God. Judah was defeated by the armies of Aram, the northern kingdom of Israel, and the Philistines. Instead of learning from his mistakes, Ahaz pursued his unfaithful ways. It was Hezekiah, who followed Ahaz, who began the restoration. In these verses we find his place of beginning. To begin the renewal in his country he renewed the temple. "Consecrate the temple! Consecrate yourselves." That was his place of beginning. Renew your worship. Make a covenant with God. That is the place where personal and national renewals begin. Read on if you would like to know about Hezekiah's renewal.
August 1 - 2 Chronicles 30:13-27
They removed the altars of the false gods. They cleaned out the city. False altars and images were thrown into the garbage heap. So the evils introduced under the wicked Ahaz were removed under the leadership of Hezekiah. The temple was restored. The priests were instructed to renew the religious rituals. The ancient celebration of Passover was re-instituted. These verses tell the story. The leaders consecrated themselves. They took their "regular" places. And the people came. Even though many had not gone through the prescribed ritual cleansing, they came. Such a great celebration! One thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats! And the joy of renewing worship of the Living God was the center of it all. Hezekiah prayed that the Almighty would forgive those who did not cleanse themselves ritually. It was done. God heard the prayer of the king and the people were healed, which was more than just permission to participate in the feast. Spiritual healing happens. Seasons of blessing come upon us. Remember the old hymn "Showers of Blessings"? "Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need. Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead."
August 2 - 2 Chronicles 32:24-32
Hezekiah was one of the "good" kings of Judah. The country prospered under his leadership. Note that there were "all kinds of valuables" in the kingdom during his reign. Recall that Hezekiah was healed from a critical illness. A miraculous sign was given. He also had his problems. Pride brought difficulties for this good ruler. But his repentance, and that of the people of Jerusalem, brought about a restraining of God's wrath. It is also interesting that, in this portrait of one of the kings, he is remembered as a builder, an engineer. He built buildings and villages. He built a tunnel, through solid rock, to bring water into Jerusalem, a marvel of an engineering feat. What an epitaph can be found in verse thirty: "He succeeded in everything he undertook." When he died her was buried with honors, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him. Great or small, may we build for God, and succeed.
August 3 - 2 Chronicles 34:9-33
Josiah became king when he was eight years old. He reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. He was deeply mourned when he died. Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah at the time of his death. An extended section of Chronicles is given to this king, one of the best in Judah's history. When he was just a boy he sought the God of David. Throughout his reign he sought to restore the worship of God, to renew the temple as center of worship, and to destroy false gods. A great revival of religion began under his leadership. The revival was given great impetus when the Book of the Covenant, the law of God given to Moses, was discovered in the temple. Where had it been? Even the greatest of religious symbols can be lost if not continually used. He found this book of the law, read it, tore his robes in humiliation, and led the people in a return to the religion of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. A time of festival followed and Judah began to come alive again. Have you lost your Bible somewhere?
August 4 - 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Corinth was located on the isthmus which separated the northern part of Achaia from the southern. Athens was north and east of it. Sparta was south and west. A busy seaport for much of Greece, it was subject to many influences from foreign traders. The city was subject to fads and fashions. The city was known for its immorality, which is exactly what the word "corinthian" came to mean. Paul was anxious that the church he started there not be reduced to just another fad. He was concerned that the church people would not divide into groups, each following their favorite teacher or preacher. He is quick to indicate that he did not desire followers for himself. All the messages of all the teachers point to one center, one unity. The name of Christ is mentioned ten times in the first ten verses of this book. Be united in Christ! Do not divide the church! Center your lives and worship on Christ, not on human things. Remember the cross. It is for all, not just one group. The church must ever strive for peace among its groups, and true unity in Christ.
August 5 - 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
The Christian faith seems strange, perhaps even foolish, to many people in every age. That certainly is the truth for this day, in our country. The bulk of scholarship in "leading" universities is not favorable to the faith. The media of our day are hostile to the faith. We very seldom see a sympathetic portrayal of Christianity. I saw a television news special recently about a poor country in Africa. It documented the poverty. It portrayed relief efforts by secular groups. It did not even mention the extensive mission work of the church in that country. It failed to say that most of the educational work done was done by the church. The leaders of the country were taught to read and write by the church. The television portrayal would lead one to believe that there is no church there, yet the church does the majority of training of medical helpers in the country. The church teaches the people how to survive in a hostile environment, how to care for each other, and very practical matters like how to grow food. The church is opposed and overlooked by the "powers" of the day. But it is the power which will endure. It is wiser that the "wisdom" of the moment.
August 6 - Ezra 3:1-4:15
At seven months the sacrifices began again. At fourteen months the foundations of the second temple were laid. It was a wonder-filled time, joy mingled with tears, joy poignant as grief. Some remembered the old temple and wept. Others did not remember first hand, but they rejoiced to be able to begin anew. Prayers had been answered. The Most High God was restoring the fortunes of Zion. All this was not done in a day. It was a time of thanksgiving, but not magic. No one waved a magic wand and all was well automatically. Zion was surrounded by enemies. They tried to work within and without. They raised barriers. They wrote letters. Beginning again does not mean that all is easy. There are obstacles to overcome, challenges to meet. With great faith, patience, and fearless action the work continued, though stalled temporarily from time to time. Sounds like life today doesn't it?
August 7 - Ezra 5:1-5
Do you recall the picture of the "eye" on the dollar bill? If you look you will notice that it is on the top of a building. The eye of God watched over the people when they were enslaved in Egypt. Here also, in troubled times, when they were servants of the Persian king, the eye of God was on them for good. God was watching over them. God knew their struggle, their suffering. God's prophets were in their midst. Haggai and Zechariah spoke words of encouragement. Zerubabel and Shealtiel set to work building the house of God. The work proceeded rapidly. God was watching them. When the political powers in that area opposed the work, the builders appealed to the king. In response Darius issued his decree that placed the burden of payment upon the opposition. Read the decree in chapter six. God was watching them. The eye of their God was upon them. It still is. God is watching us for good. Thanks be to God.
August 8 - Psalm 30:1-12
This Psalm is about a person who went through a great change in life and attitude. Previously he was proud, self-sufficient. He needed no help. "I can take care of myself. I will never be shaken," he said. Did you ever utter words like that? Probably most of us said something like that when we were very young, before we were really tested. Life changed for the person mentioned in the Psalm. Troubles came. Note the words which describe them: wailing, sackcloth, destruction, dust. Life became a pit. Then he turned to the Lord, looking for rescue. Listen to the results: "You lifted me. You healed me. You raised me. You spared me." Rejoice in the Lord. Weeping may linger for a night, but a new day is coming. Rejoicing comes with the morning. Trials will come, but the Lord is greater than all our troubles. Pride can hinder us. Trials may send us looking for help.
August 9 - Ezra 9:5-15
It had begun well. All the exiles worshiped God alone. There was a strong community of faith. The temple was started and completed. The enemies had been stymied. The struggle was lessened. But when things get better, people can forget. This passage, and much of the book of Ezra, is about the appearance of old problems. Israel had followed false idols before. The terrible disaster of the exile was caused by such unfaithfulness. And here we see the old problem appearing again. If the tone of Ezra is urgent, it is precisely because of the danger. The problem was not the wives as persons. It was with their idols, their false gods, that came with them. So Ezra took drastic steps to remove an old problem before it compromised the return and rebuilding of the nation. Not all the time, but occasionally, drastic action seems to be called for.
August 10 - Psalm 31:1-18
Here is another Psalm of rescue. Look at the statements. "Deliver me." "Turn your ear to me." "Rescue me." "Be my rock of refuge." "Free me." These are prayers we all have prayed. "Save us Almighty God." It is the prayer of every person at some point in life. Verse five contains the night prayer of every Hebrew child. "Into your hands I commit my spirit." With the last breath of the day one placed his spirit in God's hands. It is a wonderful prayer. It could be used each night, and each morning. What would happen if we began each day by placing our spirits in God's hands? We might also add the phrase found in verse fifteen. "My times are in your hands." Lord, deliver us, save us, rescue us. We commit our spirits to you. Our times are in your hands.
August 11 - Nehemiah 1:1-10
Here is another sequel to the Exile, the deportation of Jews to Babylon, and the destruction of their country. A cup bearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes finds himself deeply moved by the plight of his homeland. Though he was thriving in his position, he was willing to give it up and venture into danger on behalf of his God, his homeland, his city. So Nehemiah prays. Then he acts. Read his prayer. Note the confession of sin. Note the claim of the promise. Keep the faith. Return to God. God will then gather the exiles from the farthest horizon, bringing them to the place, bringing them home. Here is a great lesson for the spiritual exiles of this day, living in the spiritual ruins of this pagan age. May we go home? Can we go home? Yes. It is possible. We may return. We may rebuild. This is a wonderful promise for us.
August 12 - Nehemiah 4:6-23
The adventure continues. The wall is being rebuilt. There is opposition: Sanballat and the army of Samaria, and Tobiah the Ammonite. They seek to delay, to deter the progress of the builders. There are internal problems as well. Some would exploit the sacrifices of the committed builder, taking lands and vineyards, house and children. These challenges, and others, come to those who build. It is costly to build, but not impossible. They built and prayed, and posted guards. They held tools in one hand and weapons in the other. The leaders interceded on behalf of the struggling builders, to relieve them of their distress. There is a real lesson here. Meet the challenges. Pray. Act. And the building will go forward.
August 13 - Nehemiah 6:1-14
Here we find three plots upon the life and progress of Nehemiah as he sought to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. First, they try to lure him out to a secluded place where he could be killed easily. Second, they try to frighten him by threats. Third, they attempt to get Nehemiah to defile the temple, to discredit him. Are these just a sampling of the attempts to deter the faithful Nehemiah from pressing on with his mission? Probably so. There will always be someone or something in the way of your achieving a great goal. It is a mark of character in Nehemiah that he persisted, would not be turned aside, could not be frightened away. This does not mean that he did not experience the emotions of fear and dismay. He probably felt fear and anger and despair. But these feelings did not rule him. He continued on his chosen path. He was true to his God given task. "Hold steady," is the message. That does not mean that you won't feel fear, but that you will go on through it.
August 14 - Nehemiah 8:13-18
When the wall was finished there was a great assembly before the Water Gate. Ezra the scribe read from the Book of the Law. It was a high and holy time. People remembered the past, remembered their sins, and wept. Nehemiah recognized the need for tears, but he said that this was a glad day and the people should not weep. The day was a sacred day to the Lord, and the joy of the Lord was their strength. It was the next day that they read about the festival of Booths, which they had not been keeping in captivity. Here is the solemn and joyful renewal of the old rite. They gathered branches, built the booths, and stayed in them for a time. This was to remind them of the temporary shelters the people had lived in during the forty years in the wilderness. It also reminded them of the temporary-ness of life, of the delusions of wealth, and that the Lord was their God forever. No wonder that they called this the greatest celebration of this feast since Joshua's day. Their joy was very great. Life is short. Pray hard. Rejoice in the certainty of God.
August 15 - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
One of our boys ran Cross Country for several years. It was fun to watch the competition, as a large group of young people ran through the woods, across the field, up hill and down. They hoped to run the three plus miles in about sixteen minutes or so. It was also interesting to see the hours and days and weeks they had to spend in preparation for the race. Muscle and nerves, mind and will had to be trained to run, to endure, to win. If they had not prepared they would not have been able to win. It was sad to see undisciplined runners toward the end of the group. Be Prepared is still the motto of the Boy Scouts. Paul is telling the Corinthians (and us) to be prepared for the race, to plan to win, to discipline our lives for the time of testing, and then to give ourselves to the greatest race of all, whose reward is an everlasting crown.
August 16 - 1 Corinthians 10:14-17
Flee idolatry! Any idols left in this blatantly secular culture? Of course, though we do not call them idols. Silver and gold and plastic are our idols. Power and pleasure and pride are the goals too often sought. We worship money and fame. Just watch the evening news on television. Paul sends us to the Lord. Seek the table of the Lord. Corinthians offered sacrifices to idols, ate some of the sacrifice, and thus became united with the idol. In this earliest record of the Lord's Supper, Paul points the Corinthians to the true feast, the true sacrifice. Do not look to idols. They look good, but cannot deliver. They take but do not give. They cannot provide real sustenance. It is the table of Christ which brings us together. There we find our true food and our unity. Regardless of the diversity of our life experiences, at the table of the Lord we are one, we are renewed.
August 17 - Nehemiah 13:6-14
The final chapter of Nehemiah finds the wall rebuilt, the worship in the temple restored and functioning, and the people in covenant with the Almighty God. Note that they read the Book again. It is of key importance that the Book is available for recalling the people to the way of truth. There was a book from the earliest of times. Renewal is rooted in reading the Book. Does not that make sense in pagan days like these in which we live? Religion is neglected and scorned by the media of our day. The culture worships false idols of pride, greed, and lust. Truth is neglected. We need to remember the Book. But even after the renewal under Ezra and Nehemiah all was not perfect. This chapter records continuing struggle. There will be problems which will recur. The struggle is with principalities and powers. The church must find and read the book. The church must be faithful in the warfare against forces of evil in our own day, and in the days to come.
August 18 - Esther 2:5-18
The first exiles had returned to Jerusalem. The temple had been rebuilt, but the wall had not. The Persians were the great world power. They had defeated Babylon. They inflicted great losses upon Greece, though they had failed at Salamis to conquer it. Here was the King of a mighty empire, centered in Susa, in what is today Iran. (The Iranians still speak a type of Persian rather than Arabic.) His beautiful Queen Vashti was deposed, so Ahasuerus sought a new queen. In the passage for today we find Mordecai son of Jair preparing his cousin Hadassah, or Esther, the daughter of Abihail, for the possibility that she could be chosen as queen of this mighty empire. That she could become queen was possible. That her people would be in great danger was certainly possible. That she could save her people would be another possibility. The casting of the lots, which occurs in chapter three, was meant as the doom of the Jews. It turned out to be the opposite. There are all sorts of possibilities, and in the middle of all the uncertainties is to be found the power of the Almighty God, working out God's own possibilities. Think about it.
August 19 - Esther 4:9-17
"For such a time as this." Mordecai son of Jair spoke to the queen. Esther was called to understand why she was in such a place at such a time. Have you ever been in the right place at the right time? Someone needed you, but you did not know it. You just "happened" to be there. Looking back on such a time, perhaps you wondered if the Mighty God had not led you. How could it have been otherwise? We all have had at least one experience like that. In Esthers day she was called to attempt a great deed. She was to appear before the King uninvited, a daring thing in itself. She also had to find a way to counter the command given by the king to have the Jews destroyed. The king could not, by custom, simply revoke his decree. Once stated they were irrevocable. Esther accepted the challenge. "Fast and pray," she said. "Then I will go to the King. If I perish, I perish." It is a wonderful thing when in dire or daily circumstances women and men are prepared to do what God bids them do. May we have a daring faith.
August 20 - Esther 8:7-17
After the success of the Queen in exposing the evil Haman, and in bringing about his destruction, there still remained the task of protecting the Jews from the previous edict. Edicts were written by Mordecai, in the name of the King, which gave the Jews right to defend themselves against their enemies. These words, along with the support of the King and all the administrators of the provinces, had the effect of giving the Jews the edge in the confrontation with their enemies. Thus the Jews were rescued from destruction, and their enemies felt the results of their own schemes. Verse eleven is still a part of the thinking of some Jewish groups in Palestine. The rescue and the celebration which followed became institutionalized as the feast of Purim, still held every year, observed by Jews around the world. May the Lord rescue his people from their enemies. May the Lord rescue the church from its enemies. May we be rescued.
August 21 - Job 1:13-22
Job is a book about the meaning of suffering. It is ancient. Scholars are uncertain about its date of composition. It is also a book that is modern. It deals with problems we puzzle over often. Why do the wicked seem to prosper? Why do the righteous suffer? How do we respond to suffering? In this passage we find one of the answers proposed to such questions. We find the appearance of four messengers bearing bad news. Job's good life is suddenly disrupted. He is childless. He is poor. The text tells us the details of his suffering. Note that he tore his robe, a sign of great pain. He shaved his head, as sign of great loss. The next statement was written after much grief and many tears, and thus would be more of a conclusion than a beginning point. "Naked I came"...life is brief and uncertain. "The Lord gave"...not some nameless fate. "The Lord has taken"...somehow God has allowed this to happen. In his suffering he said what many struggling souls have said. But he ended where only the faithful may go..."Blessed be the name of the Lord." In all our sufferings may we be enabled to do the same.
August 22 - Job 13:13-28
This is Job's fourth speech in this book of the Old Testament. There is not much hope in it. In fact there seems to be none at all, except for one little verse. Before we look at that verse notice that Job asks for two things. One, that God stop the pain, and that Job be allowed to speak to God himself, not just to the three "comforters." Job addresses his suffering and bitterness to God. While this is difficult to read and dangerous to do, yet there is something to say for taking our anger and bitterness to God. There are some things so deeply painful that God is our only help. At least Job was looking in the right direction for help. In verses twenty four and twenty five we find key understandings. Job sees himself as the enemy of God. He asks why will God torment a "windblown leaf." Even in this he is talking to God. That is the right direction, if not the right attitude to seek God. And the verse of hope? It is verse 15, which states that Job will hope in God even though God kills him. That certainly is a ray of hope. Look to God in your pain. Keep the little lights burning.
August 23 - Job 14:1-22
In this chapter Job is in the deepest anguish. He feels like there is no hope. Humans live short lives filled with trouble. The flower blooms and is lovely, but soon it withers and fades. Human life is like a shadow which has little substance and quickly flees. If he were a tree he might have some hope. A tree can grow again from the stump, the roots give it a new growth. But a man, tormented, breathes his last and is laid low. "The best days are the first to flee," said the Roman poet. So it was, at this stage, for Job. He asks about living again. His answer is clear in this part of the book. There is no hope. As a river bed dries up and disappears, so the life of a person is soon gone and forgotten. This is a deep despair. Many of us have been there. If you have not, this undoubtedly sounds extreme. Ask someone who has journeyed into the darkness of soul. Many, perhaps most of us, will at some point feel like this. But this is not the last chapter. There is more to come. The night is dark that never finds the day.
August 24 - 1 Corinthians 15:35-58
Here is the sunrise, the light of life breaking over the darkened horizon. Paul sings of resurrection. A gardener knows that the seed must be sown in the ground before it sprouts. From the darkened tomb of earth rises the new life. From the darkness of the grave came the new life of Easter. The last enemy, death , is met and conquered. Christ, the second Adam, led the way. Alleluias break forth and Easter lilies bloom in the garden. We will be changed. In a moment, in a twinkling, at the last trumpet. The dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. We will bear the likeness of the one of heaven. It is this sure and certain hope which keeps us jouneying hopefully. For we will arrive at the resurrection. How could we journey hopefully if we did not arrive? It is so. Christ is alive. Death no longer has dominion over him. "Born like him, like him we rise. Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies. Alleluia!"
August 25 - Psalm 40:1-10
Here is a picture of a slimy pit, a pit of desolation or tumult. We have all been in one at some point in the journey. Off the path, we have fallen into the mire of despair. We have bogged down in the distractions of this fleeting world. As an antidote to this kind of difficulty this Psalm offers the following prescription: waiting, patiently, for the Lord. It is perhaps easier said than done. We are a hasty and impatient people. We want everything made right within the one hour time span of most television shows. Waiting goes against the grain. How do we wait? Perhaps we must wait impatiently for a time, until our patience improves. That does not sound like good news. But the second half of verse one does. "He turned to me and heard my cry." Then God lifts us out of the miry bog, sets our feet upon the rock. Walking in a muddy pond is difficult. It is good to feel solid ground again. God will give us a new song to sing. We have sung our old sad songs so long. It is great good news that God hears and cares and rescues. Wait. Patiently.
August 26 - Job 21:1-34
This is not a happy chapter. Job pointedly accuses the "friends" of nonsense, of falsehoods. In the preceeding chapter Zophar had stated the orthodox view that the wicked suffer, therefore whoever is suffering must be wicked to some degree. Even if the wicked prosper for a time, that time is brief, and they come to grief. Even if they prosper and die, their children suffer for their sins. Job answers that life simply is not this way. The wicked often prosper in this life. Verse thirteen states it succinctly, "They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol." Job does not say that this is the way things should be. He does not encourage anyone to turn to wickedness. He is searching for a way of suffering that does not equate God's favor with prosperity and God's anger with suffering. The good folks suffer sometimes. In the world as it exists on this side of Adam and Eve's sin, there is undeserved suffering. There are thorns and thistles in the garden. Suffering is not necessarily punishment sent by God. It is just the way of things in a sinful world. Not a happy state of affairs.
August 27 - Job 23:1-17
Remember that even though there are times when you cannot see God, yet God is there. Sometimes our weariness overcomes us and we cannot see or feel the presence of the living God. At other times we are filled with grief, our eyes filled with tears, and we cannot see God. Remember Mary Magdalene in the garden of resurrection? She was crying and did not recognize the risen Lord. Again, there are times when we feel alone. This does not mean, however, that we are alone. God knows the sparrows fall. God knows our suffering. We are held in the circle of the Almighty even if we do not feel it. We must trust our feelings at times, but there are occasions when our feelings do not reflect all of reality. God cares for us with an infinite love. God seeks us out when we have gone astray. The Good Shepherd seeks "until" the lost sheep is found. God's love does not falter nor fail. But there certainly are times when we do not sense it. This reading in the book of Job was such a time for him. Reflected here is a season of grief and searching, a realistic portrait of the situation all humans find themselves in from time to time. Remember, God will not let you down.
August 28 - Job 28:1-28
A few years ago a contemporary rock singing group called U2 sang a sad song which contained the line, "But I still haven't found what I'm looking for." The song tells of the great extent of their search. They had searched the mountains, the rivers, tried this experience, that philosophy, but still returned to the beginning point. They had not found what they were looking for. The song is a telling picture of modern people. We wander around in this thought for awhile. We try a course of action. We experience the whirling dervish of modernity. Still we feel unfulfilled, unsatisfied, empty. We are dry ground longing for rain. Job's words in the chapter for today reflect this kind of search. Though he was righteous, and we are not, he still could not find what he was looking for. Where do you find wisdom? Miners have dug deep in the ground, finding gold and sapphire, finding the roots of the rivers, but wisdom was not mined. It was to be found in a different place. An answer is given. May the rock group U2 and all of us find that answer.
August 29 - 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
The Old Covenant delivered to Moses on Sinai, and all the interpretations of that covenant, produced a body of laws, legal rules and regulations, which based a relationship with God upon keeping all the rules. It was impossibility. The "letter" pointed in the right direction, toward God, but made relationship with God dependent upon people keeping every point of the rules. It was external, and led to discouragement, to loss of hope. But the New Covenant is a change in quality of living. The word used for "new" in this passage does not mean new in point of time, but new in quality, in kind. The relation with God depends not upon keeping the rules, but on love. We are not despised lawbreakers, but children of the Most High. We are called by the Love of God to return to the Almighty by faith in Christ. We are loved into the Kingdom. Christ's sacrificial love and acceptance change our hearts. The "old" glory shone for a while on the face of Moses. Then it faded. The "new" glory is unfading. It produces life not death, forgiveness not condemnation.
August 30 - 2 Corinthians 4:1-12
Not to despair! Not to give up! We are to go on, by God's grace, which is still sufficient for our every need. Paul certainly could have quit. He was alienated from his teachers, an object of scorn to the religious leaders of his people. There had been several plots to assassinate him. He had been stoned and left for dead. He had been beaten. He had been imprisoned. He had many reasons to quit and retreat into obscurity. The one reason that he could not do so was his calling. It was by God's mercy that he was engaged in his ministry to people. So he would not lose heart. Paul could be afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, but he would not lose heart. He had seen the light of Christ, the "eikon," the very express image, the ID of God. God had let the light shine in his heart, the knowledge of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. Not to despair! Not to give up! Open yourself to the light of God in Christ. Sing praises! Offer thanksgivings. Count your blessings. We may be down, but we are getting up.
August 31 - 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Notice the certainty in the words of Paul. There are a few places in scripture that do not provide enough information for us to be absolutely certain about some things. But when the Bible talks about the resurrection and life after death the tone of the writing is clear. The Lord is my shepherd, and we will go "through" the valley of the shadow of death. Now is Christ risen from the dead! Death no longer has dominion. The words, the tone, are certain. Here Paul begins with known fact. "We know!" he says. This earthly tent will surely be destroyed. We experience that as the years and the decades go by. This mortal building we inhabit begins to creak and groan under the weight of many snows. But beyond this time we have a new building, a house not made with human hands, a building from the Almighty, an everlasting home. The Bible is clear about that. We should take heart and rejoice.
September 1 - Job 42:1-17
Job, the "hated," the "enemy" of God, here gives his answer to the Almighty. In reply to God's question, "Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?" Job answers that he spoke beyond his understanding. In response to God's statement that the Almighty would question the questioner (the "contender," the "ruwb,"), Job replies that after having heard and seen the Almighty he repents in dust and ashes. Note that Job does not say that he was guilty of anything, nor does God accuse him of anything except presumption, questioning the purposes of the Almighty. In fact the trio of comforters are rebuked for their set answers, which upheld their own theories and seemed to be flattering to God. God seems to accept the suffering of the innocent over the flatteries of these comforters. Job is called on to pray for them. Finally, Job is restored to comfort and fortune. He lives a long life, full of days. He has three daughters: Jemimah, which means "dove" in Arabic; Keziah, which means "fragrant"; and Kerenhappuch, which means "beautiful eyes." Job also had seven sons. Our suffering may be redemptive. God will strengthen us if we hold steady in time of trial.
September 2 - 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Here Paul the Apostle stops and reflects upon his life, upon what an early Christian preacher called a "blizzard of troubles" which had come to him. But there was also help. The first word to note is the Greek word hupomone, which is translated patience or endurance. It is a great word. It does not mean to sit quietly and let troubles wash over us like waves in an angry sea. It means to be able to transcend trouble, to reach beyond the pain, to overcome in the midst of trial. This is a gift offered every Christian. Next there is, in this scripture, several series of three: three internal stresses, three external difficulties, three daily working conditions of the faith, three mental qualities, three qualities of heart, three qualities of the Christian witness. Then there is a series of contrasts illustrating the way the secular world sees the Christian. The reference to weapons of the right hand and the left refers to offensive and defensive weapons. This whole passage is a lyrical reflection on the life of Paul. It does not all happen all the time. It is the summary view of much of life. How does your own compare?
September 3 - Ecclesiastes 5:1-20
There are more noted passages in the book of Ecclesiastes. Everyone remembers the lines about a time to live and a time to die. Also well known is the passage about remembering your creator in the days of your youth. This passage is a sampling of the less well known advice of the teacher in this book. It is a gloomy book, written by one who perhaps was in the late middle years of his life. He wonders if it amounts to much. Much that he thought valuable when he was young has turned out to be of little value. Dreams fail. Failures come. We reach the limit of our abilities and ambitions. What then? Is everything just a chasing after the wind? His image of meaninglessness is the word "vanity," which is the Hebrew word "Hebel," which means a vapor, a mist, a fog. Have you ever seen the fog on a lake begin to vanish when the morning sun hits it? That is what much of life is like, according to this gloomy author. It fades away. All of us have or will ask such questions when we reach a certain stage of life. Much of what we thought valuable will be re-evaluated and found to be vapor, but much value remains. May our answer to the questions of this book be informed by the New Testament truth that nothing truly valuable will be lost in Christ.
September 4 - Proverbs 15:13,15; Proverbs 17:22
This day I am looking at three proverbs from ancient Israel. We find in the book of Proverbs words of wisdom from ancient Israel. I am looking at three of these, all linked by their reference to the words "merry heart." The first says that a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance. It is contrasted with sorrow, which breaks the heart. A merry heart and a cheerful face are the expected or anticipated state of affairs. They indicate wholeness, healing, health. The second proverb states that a merry heart has a continual feast. Here the emphasis is on well being as expressed by a joyful meal, a dinner with family or friends. The third proverb also makes the connection with wellness. It says that a merry heart is a good medicine, driving home the point by the contrast that it is a downcast spirit which dries up the bones. Religion is not a burden to be carried. It is a source of gladness, cheer, joy. Faith in the God of joy and laughter leads in the direction of the cheerful heart. It is associated with health. It is the result of faith in God.
September 5 - Proverbs 10:1,10,15, & 11:2
Here are five interesting proverbs. The first is the source of the old saying about flies in the ointment, meaning a little bad tends to make you overlook a lot of good. In verse ten we find the message every Cub Scout is given...to keep your knife sharp. The dull knife is the one which cuts you. In this case the sharpness applies to wisdom. Verse fifteen reflects the old saying that a person who lacks wisdom does not even know the way to town. In verse twenty we find the source of the saying, "A little bird told me." Proverbs eleven verse two is a common sense saying. It tells us to divide our investments. We do not know what will succeed or what will fail. It is this proverb behind the saying, "Do not put all your eggs in one basket." The proverbs provide us with insight, common sense, warning, and promise. Think about it.
September 6 - Ecclesiastes 12:1-8
Here is a famous passage from the gloomy book of Ecclesiastes, that "appendix" to the book of Job. The first statement is a call to enjoy the gifts of the Creator God. Enjoy the gifts of life, for the days will come when it is difficult to enjoy this life. The light of the eyes will fade away, with no chance of the "sun" returning to the sky. Look at the images of age: the strong men stoop, the grinders (a reference to teeth?) cease, rising with the birds because sleep is difficult, fear of heights, white hair blossoming, desire fading, the cord of life cut, the full pitcher of life is broken. It is a true picture and a warning. Remember the old hymn, "Work For the Night Is Coming."? Remember also, that this life is not all their is. Eighty or ninety is young for a soul. Across the river those who were aged here will be the kids, the youngsters in that "land that is fairer than day."
September 7 - Song of Solomon 2:1-7
I'm weary with my former toil.
Here I will sit and rest awhile.
Under the shadow I will be,
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.
This is one of the verses of an old hymn found in the collection of Joshua Smith of New Hampshire. The collection is dated 1784. It refers to the passage in the Song of Solomon for this day. This book is a series of love poems spoken by a man, a woman, and a group of friends. It is, on the surface, a celebration of the joyful time just prior to a wedding. The bride and groom anticipate the beginning of their life together. The book also provides images of deeper meaning. For instance, Jesus Christ is the groom who provides sustenance and support for his bride, the church. He feeds the church. He cares for the church with infinite love. Such is the image in these verses and in the hymn quoted above. Think about it.
September 8 - 2 Corinthians 9:1-12
Paul has been urging the Corinthians to contribute to an offering for the poor of the church in Jerusalem. Here he presses them to be ready. To give a gift of which they might not be ashamed. In this passage he reveals to us a great deal about giving. In verse six he says that if a person plants just a little seed the crop will be small. If a person plants many acres a larger crop will be the result. So it is with giving. Greater generosity results in greater harvests. Make up your own mind. Do not be reluctant. Do not be pressured. But remember God loves a cheerful giver. Give freely and joyously. God will provide you with an abundance for giving. The results will not only be a blessing to those to whom you give, but they will in turn give much thanksgiving to God. So God receives the end result of your giving. Paul anticipates and answers most of the objections to giving. He also shows the results. Be a giver.
September 9 - Isaiah 6:1-8
Many years ago I was taught that this vision of Isaiah provided the basic structure of worship: Adoration, Confession, Affirmation, and Commitment. Though I now believe that there are more elements in worship that these, I still think that the elements listed above are valid. They are found in all true worship of the Most High God. Notice that Isaiah first sees God on the throne, high and lifted up. God is surrounded by worshipping beings, the seraphim, who continually sang the ancient song we sing in times of worship: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts." Next Isaiah sees himself in contrast to the Holy God. The result is not denial of sin, nor anger toward God. The response is a realistic appraisal of self. Isaiah says that he is a sinner. Then the sinner is cleansed, a live coal representing the process. The seraphim, and Isaiah too, no doubt, affirm that the sin has been removed. Then Isaiah is confronted with a choice. "Whom shall we send? Who will go for us?" We remember Isaiah this day because he replied, "Here am I, send me." Those basic elements are valid and vital for you and me, today.
September 10 - 2 Corinthians 11:21-29
Paul is confronting critics who tried to break up the church at Corinth. The critics had attacked Paul personally. Their charges seem to be that Paul is not a "Hebrew," that is, he is not pure blooded. They state that he is not an "Israelite," that is, he has not lived in the holy land, that he is under Greek influence. They also state that they are descendants of Abraham, as if Paul is not. Paul defends himself. The false teachers would lure the Corinthians away from Christ and back into the slavery of the law. He asserts that he is an apostle, called by Christ. He offers his stripes as his credentials. He tells of his sufferings for Christ. He suffered from the scourge, the rods, stones, shipwreck, and many other dangers. He calls upon the Corinthians to reject the false teachers, to be faithful to Christ, and to believe in Christ's messenger, whose life is validated by his sufferings. The church at Corinth believed him and survived.
September 11 - Isaiah 9:1-7
Naphtali and Zebulun, tribal areas in northern Israel (present day Golan is a part of this) which had been taken by Assyria in 734-732 B.C., were to be restored. The suffering areas were to be reclaimed. The whole nation had passed through a time of darkness and was to come into the light. The enemies were to be defeated as certainly as the Midianites had been. Who would do this? The Lord of hosts. A new king would come, who would have all the qualities of the best king: wonderful counsel, mighty god-like qualities, a father to his people, a peace bringer. And the characteristics of the kingdom would be justice and peace. Such a king was coming. Such a one did come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. He is the King for Judah and Israel, for Naphtali and Zebulun, for the Golan and the Gentile. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His rule shall know no end. These words, which we usually hear read on one Sunday prior to Christmas, are for us. Halleluiah.
September 12 - Isaiah 11:1-10
What will the Kingdom look like? What will the Messiah bring with him when he returns? In verses one through the first half of three we see the six spirit gifts which shall guide the Messiah: wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord. Next we see the character of his reign. He will judge fairly. He will support the poor and the meek. Justice and righteousness are the main characteristics of his reign. Verses six through eight are the picture of peace known as the "Peaceable Kingdom." Here all the natural enemies shall be at peace. It will be a return to Eden, where the wild beasts were no threat to Adam and Eve, or to each other. It is a wonder filled passage, overflowing with hope. When you read it you want to cry, "It must be so! It must be so!" It is. Verse nine shows the extent of the Messiah's kingdom. Verse ten reveals that all peoples shall have a part in it. Ponder long these powerful promises. They are fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.
September 13 - Isaiah 13:1-22
Remember the suffering caused by the Babylonians. Babylon destroyed Jerusalem...the walls, the temple, the people. Great was the suffering and slaughter. Those left alive were carried away as prisoners. Remember also that Isaiah was not plotting this destruction. He knew the pain and sorrow accompanying such catastrophes. This record of the coming destruction of Babylon is a reporting of a vision, of what the Lord was to bring about in due time. That bitter and hasty nation, which had brought about great suffering in other lands, would themselves be destroyed. Babylon will be like Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed for their wickedness. What is the theme here? Justice. There will be a day of righting all wrongs. This passage should not be read as a desire for revenge, nor as cruelty inflicted upon innocent people, but rather, it is a statement of the hope of all of us, that there will be a time when evil is punished. Wrongs will be righted. Justice will prevail. Note also that justice is left to God.
September 14 - Psalm 51:1-19
Some songs are sung from the heart. They seem to reveal something important about the singer. Such is this wonderful Psalm. It reflects suffering and hope. First the Psalmist takes a good look at himself. He acknowledges his failures. Notice the awareness of sin: "My sin is ever before me." The singer knew that he was not perfect. He knew where to takes his imperfections. The Most High God is the one who judges the sinner and offers forgiveness. Listen to the Psalmists plea..."Teach me...Purge me...Wash me...Fill me." "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." So the proud, haughty, spirit of sin is broken. The song is sung from the heart, and it is heard. God accepts the sacrifice of a suffering spirit. Take your sins and sorrows to the Almighty. Sing your heart songs. They will be heard. You will be forgiven.
September 15 - Galatians 2:1-10
Here is the record of a remarkable event. The Christian leaders who were closest to the Jewish faith met with the leader who had carried the Gospel to the non-Jewish peoples, the Gentiles. The early church could have easily split into small warring factions. It did not. Paul's mission work to the Gentiles, the uncircumcised, was affirmed. The acknowledged leaders of the Jerusalem church, Peter, James, and John, extended the "right hand of fellowship" to Paul, the apostle to the Gentile. So the church grew. Did not the prophet Isaiah say that there would be a worshipping community drawn from all the peoples of the world? There was opposition. There were those who would try to undermine the church. There is always opposition to truth. Our culture tends to oppose, to ridicule the church. You seldom see a sympathetic picture of religion in any of the media of our day. (The TV show "Touched By an Angel" was an exception.) But the church continues. The gospel is preached to all. The world can oppose, sometimes hinder, the church; but the church of the Living God cannot be stopped. Paul taught us that in Galatians.
September 16 - Galatians 3:1-9
Someone was attempting to lead the Galatians into following all the ritual rules of the the Law. Paul uses strong words: "Foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" Christ had been clearly presented to them, like a poster for a sale, clearly stated. Paul then restates a basic Christian belief. We are saved by faith. We are not saved by keeping all the ritual law. The Galatians had been treated generously by God. They had received the Holy Spirit in clearly seed ways. They should remember, when someone tries to call them astray, the faith of Abraham. Abraham lived before the law had been given to Moses, but he is counted as faithful because he trusted, he believed in God. So, Paul says, those who believe in God are children of Abraham. To trust in Christ, regardless of the circumstances, is the basic Christian stance. Yes, yes, we should bear good fruit; but the root of our faith is faith, in Christ.
September 17 - Isaiah 25:6-9
Isaiah's prophecies were focused upon the historical situation in eighth century Israel. The northern kingdom was to fall to Assyria. The southern kingdom was to be nearly conquered by the same enemy. The prophet tried to get the people to turn from their folly and change their lives, in order that disaster might be averted. So, most of his words are warnings, dire threats, and woes. There are, however, wonderful passages of hope. After the kingdom was under Assyrian domination a word of hope was needed. And what about the long future? Was their any hope. In Isaiah God's justice and God's mercy are both seen and heard. It is a wonderful book. This passage is from a section which probably refers to the distant future. It is meaningful because it links with our lives and futures. Here is a banquet for all peoples, not just Israel. On the mountain their is a feast for all. There is abundance. The enemies of humankind will be destroyed. He will swallow up death forever. (Thus St. Paul in First Corinthians 15.) The shroud of death shall be removed. All tears shall cease. (Thus St. John in Revelation in Revelation 21.) We will rejoice in the salvation of God. We have a foretaste of that banquet when we receive the Lord's Supper.
September 18 - Isaiah 28:16-22
No one likes to hear words of judgment. It is a social taboo of our day to be "judgmental." Mercy is always a popular theme. Few followers for the songs of justice. The precious cornerstone mentioned is for the distant future. The New Testament writers read this as a reference to Jesus the Christ, who is the cornerstone of our faith. But in that day the message was judgment. It was swift and sure and irreversible. The people had taken refuge in lies, this refers to false idols and meaningless political alliances. They will be destroyed. There will be no place to hide. The sheet will be too short to cover the feet...no covering. The blanket will be too narrow to wrap around them....no covering. There will be no avoiding the disaster about to come upon them. Interesting that verse 21 calls this work of God "his alien work." Yes it will be done by foreigners, but the meaning is the phrase is that God does not like it. It is not the work he would have normally have chosen. God is merciful by nature. But judgment will come if people keep on insisting.
September 19 - Isaiah 32:14-20
There is to be destruction and sorrow for a time. It was deserved, for the people and their nation abandoned the Lord. So the city and the fortresses would become ruins, deserted, a wasteland. Until...it is a wonderful word...the spirit is poured out upon us. In that time the results of the destruction will be reversed. Justice and righteousness will prevail in the land, and their fruits will be peace and quietness and confidence forever. The people will rest securely in their homes. Even though the city will be destroyed the Lord will bring his people into a new day of fruitful work and peace. It is a great promise. It was true then. It is true now. The Lord will lead us beyond sorrow and travail into a new dawn of renewed life and work. Be patient in affliction. Do not give up. Hold steady on the journey. Their will be a new day.
September 20 - Isaiah 35:1-10
Glory fills this chapter of the Book of Isaiah. In high poetry the writer sings of the time to come when the land would be restored, when people would recover from their time of suffering, and when the worship of God would be renewed upon the mountain. The opening lines in the King James Version are particularly beautiful: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom as the rose." The beauty of the great mountains mentioned shall be given to the land. The people shall their hands strengthened. The feeble knees shall again be strong. The fearful hearts shall be given courage. Note the signs of recovery: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap, the mute speak. We think immediately of the healing compassion of Jesus. Finally, worship will be renewed. A highway shall be built for the pilgrims on their way to worship. Nothing shall interfere. There will be singing, everlasting joy, and sorrow shall fade away. It is a wonderful description of the day of the Lord. It is also a promise to you and me.
September 21 - Isaiah 27:15-20
Hezekiah was one of the good kings of Judah. He listened to the word of the Lord. He destroyed the false idols in the country. He listened to the prophets. In this scripture reading we find Hezekiah in deep trouble. Sennacherib had attacked and conquered all the fortified cities of Judah. Only Jerusalem remained unconquered. In this difficult situation Hezekiah turned to the Lord God in prayer. These verses are his prayer. His prayer was heard. The prophet Isaiah responded to the King, telling him that the Almighty was going to drive the Assyrians away. About the invading king the Lord said through Isaiah: "He will not enter the city...By the way he came he will return...I will defend this city and save it." (Verses 33-35.) The Most High sent a death angel and destroyed the Assyrian army. The mighty king, who had taunted Jerusalem, was sent home, where two of his sons assassinated him. This ancient story tells about a principle of justice in the world. It tells about the power of prayer. It tells of God's love for his people. Have we not all been rescued from the edge of despair, from the pit? Think about it.
September 22 - Isaiah 40:1-5
This passage is the beginning of the second section of Isaiah. The first section is the pronouncement of doom upon Israel and foreign nations. This section, chapters forty through fifty-five, is about the return of Israel to the Promised Land. It is filled with hope and joy. It is filled with problems experienced during the time of transition, as the people came back. In times of personal or family transition in your life it is good to hear words like these first five verses. When we read them we think of the music of Handel's "Messiah." The words have music: "Comfort ye. Comfort ye." "Every valley shall be exalted...and the rough places plain." "And the glory, the glory of the Lord." Can you not hear the music? Be sure to hear the message of these verses. They can help you keep going in a time when that is not easy to do. May the Lord God smooth out the rough stretch of road for you.
September 23 - Isaiah 40:6-11
Voices and visions are found in the prophets. In this example the voice commands the listener to "cry out." "What shall I cry?" is the reply. "All people are like grass..." So begins a sequence of questions and answers about a topic that concerns all of us. People are like grass, like the wild flower of the field. After a time of growth and bloom the grass withers and the flower fades. This seems to happen so quickly in our human existence that we are dismayed by the rapidity of its passing. Where has the summer gone? Where has the year gone? Where has youth gone? Where has life gone? It goes so quickly. And if people are like that why bother with anything enduring or lovely. The answer is in verse 8. Read it again. There is something enduring, one wind which blows true forever. The word of the Lord is life and hope for each of us, beyond the swiftness of the stream of time, hope beyond the wrinkles of the years. So bring good tidings. Go up to the mountain. Shout the good news. Your God is here. The Almighty tends the flock like a good shepherd. God holds them close to the heart. Each one is important. Each is loved and cared for. So, here is a wonderful vision for to cheer your days.
September 24 - Isaiah 40:28-31
It begins with a question. "Do you not know?" The reply should be, "know what?" A second question, "Have you not heard?" The reply would properly be, "Heard what?" That God the Creator is an everlasting God. Not just a god for a day. Not just temporary. Not just now and then. The God who created the days and nights, the seasons and the years, is God each day, every day. The Eternal does not quit. The Most High does not give up. God does not weary of caring for people. Look, this God for all seasons will give you strength, will empower you for your journey between the hither and farther shore. Though the travel is difficult, tiring even the young, you will be lifted up on eagles wings. You will run and not be weary. You will walk and not faint. This is what the everlasting God is doing every day. Will you slow down enough to be found by this God?
September 25 - Isaiah 42:1-4
In Isaiah there are passages about a "servant." These servant songs resound with hope. They are a melody which lingers in the mind, sometimes strong, sometimes faint, but always there. We may sing these servant songs today and remind ourselves of God's infinite care for people. In this one the central focus is upon the person who has been crushed by a heavy weight. Perhaps it reflects the destruction of the nation through which Isaiah lived. It surely reflects the kind of suffering that each of us has experienced somewhere along the way. This day you or someone you know is hurting in this way. Look at the servant. He will bring justice. He will not shout at people, will not raise his voice in anger or judgment. A reed already crushed he will not break. He will not add to the burdens of a weary soul. He will not snuff out the flickering flame left in a person. The servant will bring relief. There is no faltering nor discouragement. Nothing will deter this steadfast love. There is no place this love will not go. Even the distant islands will find hope in this loving one. That is a true picture of the God we worship, your God.
September 26 - Isaiah 43:1-3
We all have favorite passages in the Bible. Many people will quote the twenty third Psalm or John 3:16. The Love chapter, First Corinthians 13, would be right at the top of any list. But this passage in Isaiah is one of my top favorites. The creator speaks to Jacob, to Israel (and to us), saying that we are not to be afraid, for God has redeemed us, brought us back. The Most High God has called us by our first name. God is not an abstraction, not an oblong blur in the heavens. God is not a distant, impersonal force. We are called by name. The Almighty knows us and speaks tenderly to us. The rivers will not overwhelm us. The fire will not burn us up. Then the Lord signs the promises with the names: the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Here we have a note from God. Written to you and signed by the Most High. It is a truly wonderful passage. Can you read it without being deeply moved? Surely it stirs a mighty "Halleluiah" within you. That happens to me every time I read it.
September 27 - Isaiah 46:1-4
Bel (better known as Marduk) and Nebo were the chief idols of Babylon. They are statues, carved by hand, covered with gold. They cannot breathe. They cannot move. They have to be carried. Beasts of burden are necessary for them to be carried about. In fact false idols are burdens to the weary soul. Worshipping false gods is a religion you have to carry around like a heavy back pack, a joyless religion that leaves you exhausted. The religion of Christ is just the opposite. God says that you were upheld since your beginning, even to you old age and gray hairs you are sustained. Listen to these words: "I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." The worship of the true God is a religion which carries you. The false idols of this world look good, but you will end up carrying them. Does your religion carry you or do you have to carry it? Think about it.
September 28 - Ephesians 2:1-5
This passage is a before and after photograph. "Before" you were dead in your trespasses and sins. The word for trespasses is often used for a person slipping and loosing his or her footing. It is used of a fall or taking a wrong road. The word for sins is the word used for an archer taking aim with a bow and arrow, letting the arrow fly, and missing the target. Missing the mark is the meaning. It sounds like each of us. We have all had times when we slipped and fell. We have all missed the mark of some goal by failing to aim, failing to concentrate, or some carelessness. But verse four gives us a photograph of God. The Most High is rich in mercy. God loves us, even in our sins, our deathboundness. Verse five is the "after" picture. We are made alive, quickened is the word in the King James Version. From being dead in our sins to being made alive in Christ. And how is this transformation achieved? By God's grace. By faith in Christ. By placing our whole trust in Christ. Not by our own merit or wealth or effort, but by grace...see verse eight.
September 29 - Ephesians 2:11-19
Here is another before and after picture. "Before" you were like the Greeks, and the other non-Jews, that is, without hope. Did not Sophocles write,"Youth's beauty fades, and manhood's glory fades. Faith dies and unfaith blossoms as a flower; nor ever wilt thou find...that one wind blows true forever."? There was a pervasive melancholy about aging and death. There was no relief, no answer. We were "strangers" to God. The Greek word means an unheard of person. We were "foreigners" to the kingdom. The Greek word means resident aliens, without any citizenship rights. But "after" Christ has come into your lives you are a part of the "new" humanity. New means not just another variation, but something utterly new, which did not exist before. Christ has made us one people, people with citizenship, with rights and responsibilities, with hope. We are reconciled, meaning to bring together estranged friends. We have access to the Almighty. Quite a change in those two pictures. Thanks be to God.
September 30 - Ephesians 4:1-16
This day we look at another photograph. In this wonderful picture album, the Book of Ephesians, we find a perfect picture of the Christian, of the Church. And again it reflects a change from what we all were before. Verse fourteen describes the former state: tossed about by every popular cause, by the trickery of people who would use us for their own gain, by the scheming of dishonest politicians or other leaders. From that we are called to use our God given gifts according to the grace given us, for strengthening each other, for building each other up. Whether we are teachers or preachers, those who are called to care for people or those who speak a word for the Lord, we are to grow up, to mature. We are to reside in the love of Christ. The unusual word for love means ceaseless good will. It is the word used for Christ's love for us. We are to be that way toward each other and to all of God's creation. Then everything will fit together. It is a wonderful portrait. We all want into that group photo.
October 1 - Isaiah 53:1-10
This portion of the fourth "servant" song in Isaiah is among the most important sections in the Bible. The early church, and the church across all centuries, have seen in this passage the picture of the messiah, the Christ. The very phrases are familiar from long reading and hearing. They are echoed in song and sermon. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. With his stripes we are healed. Yet it was God's plan for one to suffer for all the people, to redeem them from their sins, to heal their wounds. It is a solemn and wonderful passage. It describes the person and work of Jesus the Christ. It reveals to us our savior. The words are not lost back in history. When we read them we are not just stirring up dust in forgotten lumber yards. The words are living promises, bearing the good news of our own salvation, our own healing. As the old hymn says, they are "wonderful words of life."
October 2 - Isaiah 54:1-17
After the terrible destruction of the conquest of Israel, it is easy to see this picture of the nation as a barren woman. In their conquests the opposing nations are seen as having fruitful marriages, an image just the opposite of the empty desolation of the fallen Israel. But wait, the barren woman will become fruitful and bear many children. The barren woman (Israel) will have to make more room for the growth. The nation will enlarge, taking in neighboring countries. The shame of the destruction will be forgotten. There is a renewal of "marriage" vows. The Almighty says that he will bring her back. God confesses that he loves Israel with an everlasting love. Though the mountains be shaken, God's love will never fail. The children will enjoy great peace. Terror will be far removed. No weapon will prevail against the nation. This vow is as secure as the vow to Noah that the earth will never again be covered with a great flood. What a great promise of renewal after suffering. Greater still is the revelation that God's love for us is an everlasting love. You can never get beyond God's love and care.
October 3 - Isaiah 55:1-13
There are many messages for us in this superlative chapter. First there is a call to come to the waters and drink. Even if you are poor you may eat and drink without having any money. Wealth is not a requirement for the blessings offered. But there is a question for those with money...Why do we spend our substance on things which do not satisfy? We all have closets or attics full of things we thought we had to have. We should feast our souls on God's fare and spend our money for that which will help others. Verses six and seven are the traditional verses used at the beginning of the church season of Lent, the forty days before Easter, a time of prayer and seeking the Lord. Verses ten and eleven indicate the power of God's word. It is effective and fruitful. Note the images of the fruitful garden. Verses twelve and thirteen are a poem of praise. It is a blessing upon those who seek the Lord. The blessed will experience four surprising things: hills singing, trees clapping, pine trees replacing thorn bushes and myrtles replacing briars. This was good news to those returning from exile, and for us in the exiles of our days.
October 4 - Isaiah 58:1-14
Another of those poetic chapters, filled with remarkable images and messages, this chapter was written to help those who had returned deal with some of their problems. This section of Isaiah could be called, "Living in Hard Times." The return to the promised land had its difficulties. You may read of them here: God seeming to ignore their fasting, the exploiting of workers, quarreling, fighting. There was a frustration built up, things did not go as expected, or as quickly as hoped. So the Almighty gives a picture of what is required to thrive in tough times. The picture includes: breaking the chains which unjustly bind, setting the oppressed free, sharing food with the hungry, giving shelter to the wanderer, clothing the naked, caring for your own family. These words imply that this was not being done. But when the people practice the fast of mercy, when righteousness is their "point man" and glory their rear guard, then shall their day truly begin. Note also the necessity of keeping the Sabbath. Messages and images for the people of this day in our tough times.
October 5 - Philippians 1:1-14
This letter about joy was written by a prisoner. Paul was "in chains," imprisoned in Rome. The letter is to the church at Philippi, the first church established in Europe. Philippi was located in Greece, at the northern end of the Aegean Sea. They had sent a gift to Paul, and he responds with this letter of encouragement which contrasts fleeting "happiness" with deep abiding "joy." In verse twelve there is a word which is translated "spread," or "advanced," or a "furtherance." It is a Greek word often used of those who go ahead of an army to build roads. These persons must first cut the brush, then the trees, then prepare a roadbed. Paul's message to those Greek speaking Christians is that his circumstances turned out to be an opportunity. Paul could speak to his guards. So the whole palace guard had heard of the Gospel of Christ. And those Christians who feared persecution were encouraged to speak boldly for the Christ. We may be in restricting circumstances, but their is an opportunity in every "imprisonment." Think about it.
October 6 - Philippians 2:1-13
Paul calls upon the Philippians to complete his "joy" by being unselfish, united in love, humble in spirit. Be like Christ he says, and he sings for them the stanzas of an early hymn which tells us of Christ. Though he was in his very nature God, he made himself nothing, he emptied himself. What kind of human did he become? He became one who serves. He was true to his divine commission. He remained steadfast, even when faced with death on the cross. God exalted this humble servant. He gave him the name which is above every name. All people will bow to him. All voices sing that Jesus Christ is Lord. A testimony of truth about Christ is given to us. He is God. He is human. He is a servant. He is exalted. So we may continue on our journey knowing that God knows our struggles and cares about them. The Holy One joined us in the way and will strengthen our wills and actions. With fear and trembling because of this good news let us continue to be obedient, continue on the journey of the Kingdom. Hallelujah.
October 7 - Philippians 4:1-7
The Christian has a duty to be joyful. We are commanded in this passage to rejoice always. Doesn't that rob joy of its true nature? Can one be "joyful" on command? The answer is "no," if we look at the way we usually think about joy. But the joy we are commanded to have is of a different kind. It is not the joy attached to winning, to gaining possessions, to attaining power. It is not the joy of avoidance of pain and increase of pleasure (in the manner of the Benthamites). We, rather, are commanded to have joy in the Lord. That, friends, we may always do, and the joy is not lessened by our obedience. Circumstances are often difficult, painful, distressing. Much of our lives are lived in and out of the shadow. We cannot rejoice in our circumstances much of the time. We are weary. We are angry. We are disappointed in circumstances. But we may yet rejoice in the Lord who is near at hand, who may always be approached in prayer. We may offer thanksgiving always to the God who loves us in spite of our circumstances. We often fail; but the Lord loves us anyway. We are loved in spite of our circumstances. So we may always rejoice in the Lord, and thus transcend our situation. And the deep peace, beyond pain, may dwell in your hearts. Think about it.
October 8 - Philippians 4:8-13
If we believe what we see on television, the popular culture of our day thinks about appearance, food, sex, and the unforgivable sin of having stains on our carpets. We are told, in effect, to think about our pleasure and our power, our looks and our possessions. In contrast to this, Philippians gives us a list of things to ponder. Here is the New Testament list of things to think about: whatever is true, noble, right; whatever is pure, lovely, admirable--meaning excellent. Think about these things. Look above popular culture and its dregs. Lift your thoughts to loftier subjects. Listen to Mozart. Look out on a corn field on a frosty morning. Write a letter to a friend. Sit still and be quiet for a time. Walk under the lovely leaves of a maple or hickory. Read a good book. There are other things, loftier still. Reach out for God in prayer. Pray a Psalm. Find your way to church. Hug a child or a grandchild. Help someone in need. The noble things are still around, we just have to find them and pursue them.
October 9 - Isaiah 63:7-10
"Souls in danger, look above. Jesus completely saves. He will lift you by his love, out of the angry waves..." Remember that old hymn? We sang it in Sunday School years ago. Written in the early part of this century, published in the Cokesbury Hymnal, it was titled "Love Lifted Me." Verse nine in this reading reminds us of this hymn. In the distress of the suffering, God was distressed also. The "angel of his presence" saved them. Then the words, "In his love..he..lifted them up and carried them all the days of old." There it is..."Love lifted me." It was true for the Hebrews in the suffering of the exile. It was true for the early church, for the saints and martyrs. It is true for us. "But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry, from the waters lifted me, now safe am I." Love still lifts us out of the angry waves. Count on it.
October 10 - Isaiah 65:17-25
Before we leave the wonderful book of Isaiah, let us look at this vision of the time when all things will be restored. In times of great suffering and oppression people ask if there will ever be an end to the difficulty. "Will it ever end?" "How long, O Lord?" This passage of visionary poetry is an answer to the very human question about what lies ahead. There will be a day when the heavens and earth are renewed. Jerusalem and its people will rejoice. There will be no more weeping; no more crying will be heard. The people will live long lives, like the mighty oaks. The vineyards will bear good fruit. The people will enjoy the work of their hands. No sorrow. No misfortune. The people will not toil in vain. Children will not be born into hopelessness. God will answer before they ask. God will hear before they finish the sentence. In that day the wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion and ox will eat straw together. The wildbeasts will become as they were before Adam in paradise, and as they were with Christ in the wilderness. (See Mark 1:13.) This day will come. This is the true future. It is spoken here and affirmed in the book of Revelation. When you are discouraged about the present remember these words.
October 11 - Colossians 1:13-19
Here is a picture of the "Son," who has rescued his people from darkness, brought them into the Kingdom. The Christ is the rescuer of people. He is also the image of the invisible God (verse fifteen). The Greek word for "image" is eikon. Christ is the ikon of God, the picture we see on the ID card of the Almighty. The passage goes on to add to the picture. Christ is the creator of everything visible and invisible, on heaven and earth. He was here before all things and all things are glued together by his presence. He is the boss of the church. He is the first one to be resurrected to life that has no end. All that God is, is in Christ. And Christ brings all alienations to an end, ends all divisions, brings together our divided world. He makes peace by the peace offering of himself, offered on the cross. He is our peace. Christ is not just a wandering teacher, but the cosmic redeemer, the savior of all, the one who holds all worlds together, and the one who cares for you and me.
October 12 - Jeremiah 13:1-11
Sometimes the prophets would do certain things to make a point, to illustrate a warning or a promise. Jeremiah was told by God to buy an expensive linen belt, to put it on and wear it for all to see. Then he was to take that belt to Perath. (No one knows for sure where this is.) There he was to leave the belt in a crevice in some rocks. "Many days later" he was told to retrieve the belt. It had been out in the sun and rain for some time, and was totally ruined. He was to wear the ruined belt for all to see, and to proclaim that the people were like the belt. Judah and Jerusalem had done things their way. They had worshiped false idols. They had adopted lower morals. They probably talked about their freedom to do things the way they pleased. And their idols (like our TV) supported their life style choices. But regardless of their choices, their freedoms, they were wrong. They had forsaken the Living God. They were ruined, useless. Here is an ancient warning to any culture that forsakes the Almighty.
October 13 - Jeremiah 13:15-17 & 14:7-9
These two Bible readings are pleas. The first is a plea to Israel to listen to the prophet, to give heed to his words. Give glory to God, turn from your ways before it is too late. A season can only last so long. Summer lingers in the fields, with warm autumn days, sunny mornings and pleasant afternoons...Then the change comes with clouds and rain, a cold front presses through and the summer is forgotten. So this first reading is a plea to change before the time is over for changing. The answering plea is directed toward God. The words surely belong to Jeremiah or one of the faithful followers of God remaining in Jerusalem. It is an admission of sin. The plea is for God to relent of his judgment for the sake of his own name. Will he allow his own chosen land to be conquered? God is called the "Hope of Israel," the "savior in times of distress." "Do not forsake us," is the plea. "Do not be like a stranger, just passing through." God is in their midst. They bear God's name. Here are two poignant pleas, a picture of the struggle of that day. Remember that God will forgive us all that we will have forgiven. The question is never can God forgive, but will we be forgiven, be changed, move away from our sins?
October 14 - Jeremiah 15:15-21
It was no fun being a prophet in Jeremiah's day. If he was true to his calling, he had to confront people with painful reality. He had to utter words even he did not want to hear. It was a struggle for the prophet. He was grieved at his people's sins and grieved that destruction was just ahead. Israel was his country. The people were his people. And Jerusalem was the center of the world to the people of that day. So Jeremiah wept from time to time about the message he had to declare. This Bible reading is one of Jeremiah's laments. He had been faithful to God and it led him to rejection by the people. He was lonely and in deep sorrow. Would God forsake him? He had joyfully accepted the commission of the Almighty. Would God be like a "spring that fails"? Utter worthy and not worthless words is the reply. You will be opposed but not overcome. Then God says the words, "I am with you to rescue and save you." In the strength of that promise Jeremiah went on with the journey of life which God had given him. What God commands, God enables. The Most High will not forsake you in times of grief or sorrow or struggle.
October 15 - Jeremiah 17:5-8
A bush in the wastelands...This is the first picture shown in this scripture. A scrubby little bush endures a meager existence on the margin of a desert. Look at the descriptive words: parched, salt. They all give a clear photograph of a stunted little shrub. This then is compared to a person who depends upon his own resources, upon his own philosophy, upon his own strength. The little shrub is a person who has turned away from God and tries to make life succeed on his own terms. The other picture in this before and after comparison is just the opposite. Here is a person who trusts in God, who places his ultimate confidence in the Lord Most High. That picture is like a tree planted near a river, its roots are well developed. It is always in bloom. It is ever fruitful. Look at the negatives: no fear, no worries, never fails. The lesson is clear. A scrubby shrub can be transplanted and thrive. The warning is that the reverse is also true. There are many desert areas in our culture. Did not T. S. Eliot warn us of the wasteland?
October 16 - Jeremiah 17:12-14
Dust and water are the opposites pictured in these verses. Those people who turn away from the living God will be written in the dust. Did you ever draw pictures in the sand box? Ever write something in the dust of a road? Have you built little dams in the water running at the curb? Perhaps you have constructed sand castles at the waters edge. All of these are temporary things, things that do not last for longer than a day or a season. So it is with those who turn away from the Lord. They may make their mark on things for a time, but they are soon like the dust. A well watered land, on the other hand, will give sustained growth, will provide a place for evergreen plants. Olives will grow. Figs will grow. Dates will grow. The well watered life flourishes. The Lord is the spring of Living water. Did not Jesus reveal that to the woman at the well? And did not Jesus reveal the shame and forsaken lives when he wrote in the dust in the story of the woman found in adultery? The living water is available to you today and each day.
October 17 - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The issue of life after death arose in the church at Thessalonica, a sea port in northern Greece. Paul states two goals: to combat ignorance and to avoid debilitating grief. In verse fourteen Paul states the basis for hope, that Jesus died and rose again. So those who fall asleep in Jesus will likewise be resurrected. God will do this, will "bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep..." Have you seen old tombstones that display the words "asleep in Jesus"? Those words of hope came from this passage. (Remember James Weldon Johnson's "Go Down Death"?) On a certain day the Lord will come down with: a word of command, a cry from the archangel, and with the shout of a mighty trumpet. Then the dead in Christ shall rise. The words of Paul are clear. We will be "with the Lord forever." Whenever the scripture speaks of resurrection the meaning is clear and certain. Therefore we have hope and are not caught up in grief that ruins us altogether. We certainly do grieve for the passing of our loved ones, but the grief is for us. We know where they are. "Encourage each other with these words."
October 18 - Jeremiah 20:1-6
His name was Pashhur, which means "freedom", and he could not take it any longer. Jeremiah had preached disaster and destruction, had said that the temple was no longer the center of true worship, as it should be, that the Almighty was bringing clear and certain judgment upon Jerusalem. Pashhur lost control and had Jeremiah seized. They locked him in stocks near the Upper Gate of Benjamin, at the temple. It was a move calculated to humiliate. Jeremiah's reply was not angry, not intemperate. It was with a deep sadness that he told Pashhur that his name was to be changed. No longer was he to be free. He was to be a "terror to himself and his friends." He was to be carried off into Babylon, a prisoner. There, in a foreign land, he was to die and be buried. It was a sad word for Jeremiah to have to tell a friend.
October 19 - 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11
Here is a joy filled passage. It celebrates the new life and hope that is the condition of every Christian. The change is described in terms of light and darkness. The Christian has come out of the night, out of the darkness, where vision is next to impossible. There is no longer the necessity of wandering around without any clear direction. The day has come. We can see all the glories of the sunrise. We can see the clear blue of the sky, the golds and pinks of the day break, the rosy fingers of dawn. We can see the road. We can walk in it. We can see those who need help along the way. We are children of the day. We belong to the day. Put on faith, hope, love - all mentioned here. We are not to suffer wrath, but enjoy salvation. Whether we are on this shore or the farther shore, we are with the savior. Therefore we are to rejoice, to encourage each other. Friend, we may live most of our days in this New Testament Psalm of praise. Hallelujah.
October 20 - Jeremiah 23:33-40
The people of his day gave Jeremiah a hard time. They mocked his prophetic utterances. In this passage we find the Almighty telling Jeremiah that when the mockers say, "Tell us the burden of the Lord." he is to reply that they are the burden, and it will be cast off. The Most High rejected the priests and prophets who spoke falsely, who said things that they were not told to say. They spoke lies and led the people astray. But there is a further difficulty revealed here. In verse thirty six it says that every ones own word becomes his oracle. God's word is truth. There are not as many truths as their are people. Yet in that day, and in our own, some seem to believe that we all are prophets, that is, we are a truth unto ourselves. We can decide what is right and wrong, and what we say is right. We live in a day of individualism of truth, of privatization of the "oracle." This involved passage discloses to us a truth about our own day. We all think we can do it our way. May we find the pure fountain of living waters again, the source, the One.
October 21 - Psalm 81:1-16
Music is intensified sound. Singing is intensified speech. Israel is called to praise the Lord with song and shout, with tambourine and lyre and harp, with the trumpet at the new moon. This Psalm was probably written for the fall festival of booths. Each year the Hebrews were (and still are today) called to build temporary shelters from branches and scrap wood. They are to "live" in them for a time, to remind them of the forty years of wandering in the wilderness which their ancestors (and ours) experienced after escape from Egypt. They are called to celebrate the recovery of freedom after many years in slavery. So the fall celebration was filled with joy and thanksgiving. It was also a time of remembering the lessons learned in the wilderness...the manna, the pillars of fire and cloud, the water from the rock, the failure of the golden calf, the complaining at Meribah. The last verse is a promise that the faithful will be fed the finest wheat (a promise echoed in the contemporary hymn, "You Satisfy the Hungry Heart) and with the sweetest of honey. It is a promise to you and me.
October 22 - Psalm 84:1-12
Do you have a special place where you seem to be closer to God? I remember the little sign in a friends garden which said that one is closer to God in a garden that anywhere. Well, it certainly is true that the wonders of God's providence can be better seen there than in most places. But I find myself rejoicing when I walk along the bed of one of our Missouri creeks. A bright spring or autumn day is a wonder in itself, and if you add swift running water, with sunlight laughing on the surface, then you have a place close to my heart. But this Psalm reminds us of the special place of worship and joy, the temple. Most churches have some steps, even though we provide access to everyone. The steps remind us that we are going up to a higher plane, to a special place, to Holy ground. The courts, the altar, the holy place are earthly symbols of the heavenly places. We may draw near to God there. Blessed are those who go there. They go on from strength to strength. Our lives are much poorer if we do not find our way to the courts of the Lord regularly.
October 23 - Jeremiah 26:20-23
This passage is a sad aside in the middle of a chapter full of trouble. Jeremiah had been seized by the priests, prophets, and other leaders of the land. His life was in danger. In the middle of telling this tale, the story stops while the writer tells a second story, of the death of the Prophet Uriah. Hardly anything is known about this obscure prophet. He spoke in the name of the Lord. He said the same things that Jeremiah was saying. When the king sought to kill him he fled into Egypt. (Any New Testament bells ringing?) But in this case the king's thug, Elnathan, found the prophet, and brought him back. The king had Uriah killed with a sword. His body was buried with the "common people," that is, in an unmarked grave. Such events are not a part of the history of Israel of which we are proud. They are recorded as a reminder of a time when the people of God forgot to worship the Almighty. It is a warning to us about the terrible things which can happen in a culture where God is forgotten, edged out by secular thought. Think about it.
October 24 - Psalm 85:1-13
Here is a joyful Psalm. It is about the restoration of the fortunes of Zion. Through all the suffering of the terrible exile in Babylon, the people never gave up hope that there would be a day of renewal. God would remember the people. The Everlasting One would not forsake his chosen people. There would be a time when things would get better. This Psalm looks ahead and celebrates the changes in advance. Of course this ancient hymn was also sung after the restoration had occurred, but that makes it a song for all seasons. We may sing it when we are looking ahead to better days, and also when the better days are here. The hymn "Revive Us Again" finds its opening words in verse six. The last four verses are a joyful song of praise, a poetic rejoicing. Try adding the word "when" before the first clause of verses ten and eleven. Then add the word "then" before the second clauses of the same verses. It helps clarify the meaning.
October 25 - Jeremiah 30:1-11
Chapters thirty and thirty one of Jeremiah have been called the "Little Book of Comfort." In these writings the Prophet looks beyond the suffering of the present time. Jeremiah wrote during the time just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. His time of service spanned the days of destruction. It was a terrible time. There is a great lesson in the fact that these chapters are actually here. Jeremiah looked beyond the terrible days. His vision then reached out toward the day when the Messiah would come to ransom and redeem the people. Here is a view from the mountain top. In our troubled days we need to see things in a longer perspective. There will be other days. And the days to come are not just an automatic succession of days. The Lord will guide the days to come. Judah and Israel will be saved by the hand of the Almighty. God's words are, "So do not fear, O Jacob my servant...I will surely save you out of a far away place." The future is in God's hands.
October 26 - Jeremiah 30:13-17
We continue to read the "Little Book of Comfort." It is a place in the Bible you may want to return to again and again. The "wounds of Zion" is the theme of today's reading. The poetry reinforces the diagnosis: your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. Some look at verses twelve through fifteen and think of a soldier wounded in a great battle. We have all received wounds of the heart in the great battles of existence. We know how much they hurt, the ubiquity of pain. But the war will be won. Though wounded we will be victorious. Verse sixteen tells the tale: "But all who devour you will be devoured." Verse seventeen focuses on the wounds: "But I (God) will restore you to health and heal your wounds." You were lost in the desert (Hebrew "Tsiyah"). I will bring you back to Zion (Hebrew "Tsiyon). Read the rest of chapter thirty if you want to see the Lord's promises about restoration. Note that verse twenty two gives the great conclusion to the matter.
October 27 - Jeremiah 31:2-6
Did not the earlier generation of Hebrews wander forty years in the desert? Yes! Were they not rescued from Egypt and from the exile in the wilderness? Yes! So those who have been overcome by the sword will find rest in this second wilderness wandering. They will be brought back. They will sing and dance. They will plant vineyards upon the hills of Israel. The watchmen will not see any enemies approaching. Their call will be to prayer. For God loves his people with an "everlasting love." God is continually faithful. They had sinned. But God's love is greater than sin. They will be brought back home again. They will be picked up, washed off, fed, and brought safely home. It is a wonderful promise. Think of it. We are loved with an everlasting love. Our loves are often feeble. We vary between hot and cold. Not so with God. The love of the Most High God is not wavering, never failing. We are loved with that everlasting love. We have been called by name.
October 28 - Jeremiah 31:10-14
The exile was not a capricious act but a moral judgment. It was the Almighty God who "scattered." It was the same God who "gathered" the people back together. The tides of history are not without guidance. We are not at the mercy of mindless forces. There is a providential care which does not fail, which guides us through difficult days in the wilderness, the exile. God is the shepherd who watches over the flock. The shepherd seeks the lost sheep until it is found. God will ransom (set free by paying a price) and redeem (buy back) God's people. They will be set free. They will return. They will again shout for joy on the hills of Zion. The young women will dance. The young men will join them. Even the old people will be join in the celebration. Gladness will replace mourning. Comfort and joy will replace sorrow. These are promises to Israel and to us. Read them again and again. Rejoice in the completion of these promises in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Christ all promises come true. So we may celebrate here and now. (That is what worship truly is.) We may also look ahead to the day when all sorrow is gone and all tears are replaced with laughter.
October 29 - Jeremiah 31:15-22
Here is a promise given in picture language. Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Through her the promised line continued. Was the promise given to Abraham, and passed on through the generations, to be canceled by the destruction of the nation at the time of the exile? Rachel is pictured as standing by the road and weeping. Will there be any more children of the promise? She stands near Ramah, where the defeated Hebrews were gathered for deportation. And there she is comforted. "They will return." "Your children will return to their own land." Her tears became tears of joy. Another great picture in this passage from the Bible is found in verses twenty-one and twenty-two. Israel, pictured earlier as faithless, is here seen to be a virgin bride again. The sins are forgiven. The wounds are healed. They are restored to their former place. This does not mean that the time of restoration was free of trouble. Going back is not easy, but they were going home.
October 30 - Jeremiah 31:31-34
We cannot leave the "Little Book of Comfort" without looking at this scripture passage. It is of key importance for the early church, and for all the heirs of that group. Here is predicted the restoration of Israel in terms of a new covenant. Israel had broken the old covenant, established with the ancient ancestors. They had forgotten the Lord. But in "that day" the covenant will be a renewed. It will be deeply implanted within their hearts and minds. No covenant of the lips! No "lip service." The new covenant will be a part of each life. Each one will know the Lord. You and I are the heirs of this promise. The new covenant was given through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a covenant of love, an appeal to the heart of every person. Through the self-giving love of Jesus we have come into the circle of God's acceptance. God has, and will continue, to renew our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Holy Spirit invades our lives to keep this faith alive and vital. We are people of the new covenant. Halleluia!
October 31 - 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Here is the saying that is often misquoted. It is not "money" that is the root of all evil, but the "love of money." However, the one usually comes with the other, so the saying is largely true. The ancients were aware of this truth. Epicurus said that he for whom little is not enough nothing is enough. One of the Jewish Rabbis said that he is rich who is contented with his lot. Greed is a growing desire. It grows and grows as possessions increase. It is best to find satisfaction not in outward possessions, which are at but "luggage" in this life journey. It is best to find contentment in the love of God, which is everlasting. No one can take that from you. Our riches are found in our relationship to God, to Christ, to the people of God. If we have these things worldly possession cannot add to what we already have. When you seek worldly riches you are sure to pierce yourself with many sorrows.
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November 1 - Ezekiel 1:1-28
Ezekiel, Son of Buzi, was a priest as well as a prophet. He was one of the first group of captives carried into the land of Babylon. Among the exiles the Lord spoke. This sounds normal to us, but it was uncertain to them. Would God speak to them in Babylon? Would they be abandoned by God because of their sins? Here God continues to speak to the people, even when they are in deep difficulty, in a strange situation. It has been suggested that the Kebar river was an irrigation canal, a part of the system of the Euphrates River. By a river, in a strange land, in the middle of exiles, the heavens were opened, and Ezekiel saw visions of God. While it is complex, the vision is also beautiful. Think of the beauty of the animal faces, the burnished bronze, the flashing lightning and brilliant light surrounding the whole, the burning coals, the eyes, the wheels, and the arched expanse which looked like ice crystals. Then there was the sapphire throne, the Glory of the Lord, the voice like that of many waters. It is an awesome vision. Ezekiel did what he should have done. He fell down and worshiped. While we cannot produce visions like that, we should experience something of the awe and glory each Sunday in worship. Perhaps we do not because we do not expect to. Perhaps we get what we look for. Think about it.
November 2 - Ezekiel 2:1-10
This is the record of Ezekiel's call. Ezekiel, whose name means "God strengthens", was face down in before the Lord. The Almighty spoke to him, and as he spoke the Spirit came into him, and the hand of the Lord lifted Ezekiel to his feet. Note that the prophet was not given an easy job. He was sent into the midst of a rebellious people. He would be surrounded by briars and scorpions. But he was to go. And the people would know that a prophet was in their midst. The scroll he was given was filled up, the words flowed over on the back. They were words of lament and woe. The exiles were certain to be experiencing such feelings. But the prophet was not to be afraid. It is a command. It is repeated for emphasis. Ezekiel is to listen to the Lord. There is a connection there. When God raises a humble person, if that person will listen, then that person can face any wind that blows.
November 3 - Ezekiel 4:1-5:4
The Old Testament prophets would, from time to time, engage in symbolic actions. They would do something to teach a lesson, a divine object lesson, to those around them. In this reading we find four such actions. First, there is the mimic siege. The prophet is to construct a model of Jerusalem and build siege works around it. Second, Ezekiel is instructed to lie upon his left side for 390 days and upon his right side for 40 days. (This probably was not done all day, but just a portion of it.) The numbers indicate the great sin of both Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom). The numbers are also related to the length of the siege against Jerusalem. The third sign is the polluted siege rations, indicating the horror of the siege. The starving people will eat anything. The fourth sign is the cutting of the hair, a symbolic way of saying that the slightest number of people will remain. Thus the exiles in Babylon were warned of the impending destruction of Jerusalem. They were warned of the consequences of rebellion.
November 4 - Ezekiel 8:1-18
This is a vision of Jerusalem just prior to its defeat. Ezekiel, with the first group of exiles in Babylon, sees the city in a vision. The prophet is taken by the hair of his head and carried in the vision to the temple. There he is shown the inner decay of the city. First he is shown the idol erected at the north gate. Some translations call it the idol that arouses jealousy. Other translations call it the idol that arouses lust. Secondly, the prophet is shown the inner rooms of the temple, out of sight of the people, where the leaders of Judah are worshiping detestable images. Also at the north gate he is shown women weeping over the death of Tammuz, a male fertility god. And even in the inner court of the temple there is false worship. Twenty-five men turn their backside to the living God's altar and worship the rising sun. Verses seventeen and eighteen reveal that false values fill the land with violence. (Sound contemporary?) The leaders and the people are "thumbing their nose" at the Lord. Therefore the Lord will deal with them in anger. Chapters nine and ten detail the wrath of the Lord. It is not until Ezekiel 11:17 that we come across the promise of restoration.
November 5 - Hebrews 7:1-17
Melchizedek was the King of ancient Salem (Jerusalem). He was a priest of El Elyon, the Most High God. You may find further information in Genesis chapter fourteen. The great patriarch of Israel, Abraham, bowed before this priest/king to receive his blessing. Abraham paid his tribute money, a tithe. There is no recorded genealogy of Melchizedek. The Son of God, Jesus, is called a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The point of this is that Jesus, who was not a descendant of Aaron, and thus not entitled to the priesthood descended from Moses' brother, belongs to a greater priesthood than Aaron. Jesus is the perfect priest offering the perfect sacrifice. So the former ways are set aside in favor of the true and perfect mediator. Jesus is able to offer sacrifice for our sins. They are forgiven because of his sacrifice. We are not saved by the law of Moses, but by the Grace of God in Jesus Christ, who is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
November 6 - Hebrews 11:1-16
This is the great chapter about faith. It begins with a definition. Faith is being certain of what we do not see. It is a "title deed" to property that we have yet to possess. By faith the ancients were commended. Look at the roll of the faithful: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and others given in the remainder of the chapter. These lived by faith and died still believing. They knew that they were not at home on this earth. They were aliens, with no share in the property. They were strangers, resident aliens in a land not their own. They looked forward to a better country, a heavenly one. So God accepted them. They faced angry lions, escaped the sword, quenched the flames. Their weakness was turned into strength. The world was not worthy of them. They are remembered this day because they lived by faith. So God rewarded them with something better. The faith of these heroes was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. They anticipated what he brought in reality. He is the center of life and history. All of God's promises are fulfilled in him. He is our life, our peace, our joy. We know what they only anticipated. Let us rejoice and live in our knowledge.
November 7 - Hebrews 12:1-13
The stands of the athletic field are filled with witnesses. They are cheering the runners who compete in the race. Those in the stands have completed their race and now they encourage those who are still in the competition. You and I are the runners, still in the race of life. We are advised to throw off whatever attitude, evil, or habit that hinders our running. Lighten the load. Train for the race. Then onto the track and into the lane! Look for the goal! Look for the tape that marks the ending. Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of the race of faith. The crowd roars. We look to the lap we are running, first, second, last. Let us run with patience the race given us, (which is not necessarily the one we choose), and run with joy, by faith, as did the Lord who was faithful even unto death. Think about him and do not grow weary of the journey.
November 8 - Ezekiel 34:1-31
This is one of the most joyful chapters in the Bible. It is very personal. The word "I" is used many times. It refers to God, who says that The Almighty will become the shepherd of the flock. God will care for and save the people. God says "I will search for..rescue...tend them...bind up the injured and strengthen the weak." Judgment is pronounced for those who "muddy the water." Justice is given to those in need. The old hymn "Showers of Blessings" finds its title in this chapter. A covenant of peace is called for, a restoration of harmony and unity. The forest will be a place of safety, not Milton's "These wild woods forlorn". The wild beasts will no longer be a threat, but will be tame, as they were in paradise. "You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture are people, and I am your God, declares the Lord of Hosts." It is filled with truth and hope. Read it often and rejoice in the truth that was incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, who is our peace, our restoration. He is the good shepherd, who will not forsake any of his flock.
November 9 - Ezekiel 37:1-14
"Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones," the old spiritual says, "Now hear the word of the Lord." This passage is the one that inspired the old song. The valley of the dry bones is another vision seen by the prophet Ezekiel who lived among the exiles in Babylon, but whose vision had a much broader scope. This vision asks whether or not the dried up hopes of Israel could revive. The prophet preaches to a most unlikely congregation, the dry bones. "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! I will make breath come into you and you will come to life." It took a while. There were some strange sounds. But the breath (which is the same word as "spirit" in Hebrew) came into them and they stood up, a mighty army. The Spirit of God can bring them to life. The people would return to the land and know the Lord their God. "Dem bones, dem bones, gonna walk around. Now hear the word of the Lord." Can our dried up hopes and dreams revive? Can the Lord bring our dry old bones to life? Believe it.
November 10 - Ezekiel 47:1-14
In the last visions given to the prophet, he sees the restoration of Jerusalem, the temple, and the people. This portion of Ezekiel's final visions contains the vision of the River of God. It flows from within the temple out past the walls, east of Jerusalem, then south to the Dead Sea. Note that the prophet is led into the river, to measure its depth. It soon is a river too deep to cross. The river channels through the Arabah and into the Dead Sea. When it empties into that salty body of water, the sea becomes fresh. Life returns to the lifeless sea. Swarms of living creatures, and fish like the kinds found in the Great Sea will be found living in the formerly dead sea. Along the banks trees will grow. Fruit will be found in abundance. The fruit is for food and the leaves of the tree are for healing. The trees do not wither. Each month they bear fruit. This is the vision that St. John sees and records in the New Testament book of Revelation, chapter twenty-two. Think of God's grace as a river that flows from the throne into your life, bringing healing for the old wounds, bringing life into the deadened areas, bringing freshness and joy. It is possible. It is available to those who bring themselves to that throne asking for the mercies of Christ.
November 11 - Daniel 3:1-30
Here is another Old Testament book which comes out of the Exile, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the deportation of most of its population. Daniel is a strange and interesting book. It is poetic and imaginative in style. But the writing is that of one of God's prophets. It should claim our attention. This chapter is about a familiar event. In Vacation Bible School or in Church School we all studied about the three Hebrews who were cast into a fiery furnace in Babylon. As you read note the vivid detail. The three were administrators in the service of the King of Babylon. They had responsible jobs. (Read chapters one and two to find out how they got there.) When the King set up an image of gold and commanded everyone to bow down and worship it, the three refused. When called on the carpet they refused to worship idols. Thus they remained faithful. The hope of Israel was in the faithfulness of the exiles. So into the super heated furnace they were tossed. Note that "four" were seen in the fire. A fourth "person" protected the three. Perhaps it was an angel. It appeared as "a son of the gods." The only thing burned in that fire was their chain. They were set free, even in the fire. After they emerged from the furnace, the king made a special proclamation and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were promoted.
November 12 - 1 Peter 4:7-19
Peter is writing to a church under fire. There were many times in the early years when the church suffered greatly. It was persecuted. Believers were imprisoned, often killed. This passage is from the section of advice to those in difficult times. It is intensely practical. Keep a clear mind. Love each other deeply. Use the gifts and opportunities God gives you. Do not be surprised that the world persecutes Christians. Rejoice to participate in the sufferings of Christ. When you suffer for Christ you are blessed. In tough times commit your life to our faithful God and continue to do good. These words are clear and true. They are just as valid in this day when religion is edged out of public life, when the pressure brought upon religion from official sources is close to persecution.
November 13 - 1 Peter 5:1-11
This is a continuation of practical advice to a troubled time. Be good shepherds of the flock God gives you. Be a good steward. Do not be greedy, but be of good service. Your reward will be a crown that does not fade with the turning of the seasons or the passing of the years. Be humble. Cast your cares upon God, for God cares for you. Resist the devil, who prowls about like a roaring lion. Be strong, steadfast, and steady, in this time of widespread persecution. God will restore you. To God be the glory. Again, this is very up to date advice. In a time in which pornography is allowed and a prayer at graduation is not, it seems particularly appropriate.
November 14 - 2 Peter 1:1-21
Early in this passage we are told about precious promises that will not fail. They will enable us to survive in a world in which evil seems to have the upper hand. Verses five through nine used to be called the ladder of virtue, each quality seen as a further step in the faith. The sequence is: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are qualities demanded of a Christian life, as it deepens, as it grows. Peter urges the Christians under fire to refresh their memories. The words of the apostles were not fables, inventions. The apostles were all eyewitnesses of the truth in Christ. Some of them accompanied Christ to the mountain where he was transfigured, where the voice from heaven affirmed Jesus as the Son of God. There must have been some false prophets around. Peter states that the church has a more certain word of prophecy. Troubled times often bring impostors. Listen to the true and ancient words, they will guide you in the night of suffering. The day will come. The morning star is already with you.
November 15 - Daniel 6:1-28
Remember the old spiritual song: "Daniel in the den of lions. He did begin to pray. The good Lord closed the lions' mouth. That sure was a mighty day, yes Lord. That sure was a mighty day." Jealousy and plotting by his fellow administrators placed the prophet/administrator in danger. Though the king's law said not to pray to anyone but the king, Daniel was faithful to the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. The king disliked the trap but his word could not be recalled. Daniel had to be thrown into the den of lions. The fact that the lions did not bother Daniel established his innocence, and gave the king the opportunity to turn the tables on the conspirators. The decree of King Darius is the point toward which this story moves. The God of Daniel was to be held in awe and reverence by all. This was a message for those in exile and for those of us struggling to be faithful in this day of many plots and temptations.
November 16 - Daniel 7:1-28
This chapter is one of the visions of the prophet. It is a bit different than the visions of Isaiah or Jeremiah, who saw pictures of what was to take place in the immediate future of Israel, and what was to take place in the distant future of Israel. Daniel, and some others, have visions called "apocalyptic." The prophets were interested in improving this life. The "apocalyptists" were interested in the heavenly world to come. This world had become too difficult, too evil. They pictured God as the one who would wipe out the evil and bring in a new, heavenly kingdom. Their writings were filled with symbolic images, numbers, colors. This writing is valuable in times of persecution. It shows that evil is real, if temporary. These visions give hope for the future. In this particular passage we are told of the "Ancient of Days," about whom we sing in the hymn, "Come, Thou Almighty King." We also learn about one like a "Son of Man," which the church has identified as the Christ. What do you think about this kind of vision?
November 17 - Psalm 20:1-7
This is the first of fifteen songs of ascent, sung by pilgrims on the way to the temple. This is a journey song sung by one who was dissatisfied enough to take to the road in search of God, of the Kingdom, where life is justice and peace. This first song reflects a person who was tired of living in a culture where you can trust nothing you hear or read, where words are cheap, dependability forgotten. The singer was tired of dwelling in Meshech, a distant tribe located in what is today southern Russia. Kedar was a tribe of barbaric Bedouins who moved close to Israel's borders. The singer of this Psalm saw life as strange, distant, and barbaric, in the culture of his day. Therefore he was willing to risk a journey. He would forsake his place in the culture of lies and begin a journey toward a Promised Land, toward a temple of truth, toward the kingdom. It would not be easy, but it would be filled with hope and meaning. The Lord would be with him on the journey, would save him from lying lips. It is a holy journey to which we are all called.
November 18 - Psalm 121:1-8
When you need help on the journey where do you look? To the hills? No one loves the hills any more than I do. I love the rocks and creeks, the woods and hollows. The mountains sing of the creation to me. And yet when it comes to real help in the real world, the hills are a part of creation and not the creator. The hills are wonderful to see, but when in trouble look for the creator, "the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Remember, also, that the idolaters in Biblical times would set up shrines on the hills. They would build pagan altars there. Their religion was more like an instant "fix" familiar in our own day. The orgies of the false gods are a part of their sorry history. We do not look there for help. When we are in danger of falling, when we are exhausted from the burdens of the heat of the day, when we are nearly beside ourselves with frustration, we have a remedy here. Look to the God who travels with us and will preserve us, both this day and all the days of the journey, even forevermore.
November 19 - Psalm 122:1-9
Everyone needs a place, somewhere they can feel that they belong. A popular TV show used the line, "where everybody knows your name." We all long for,a place like that. It is not to be found in bars, however. This psalm gives the traveler direction. "You will find a place for you in Jerusalem." So the psalmist rejoices to sing that he stands within the walls, his feet are within the gates of Jerusalem. But go back to verse one for the key. There will be a place for you in the house of the Lord. The people who gather there are not perfect. Many are struggling to find their way. Some are just sitting still. A few are just pretending. But there is a place for all. You will be known by name, and you will have a chance to change, to grow, to find a renewed sense of life. Where? In Jerusalem. In the temple. In the church. That's why we go there. Not because we are perfect, but because we seek a place where we are accepted, where we may be truly ourselves. Won't you find it? What could keep you from it?
November 20 - Psalm 122:1-9
There is more to this Psalm. In verse three we find an especially wonderful promise. Jerusalem is a city built of closely fitting stones. They are brought together and given a unity, a strength. No stone is exactly like another one. They are individual, but in this place they find a closely compacted unity, like a good building, a good wall. There is a place for every one. Each stone is needed to fill a certain spot in the construction. All lend their strength to the wall. Big stones and little stones. Rough stones and smooth stones. All shapes and sizes. All hues and textures. There is a place for each, and a need for all. Note also that there is no pile of stones by the wall. All the stones are used. There are no leftovers, no seconds, no less valuable stones. No rejections! It is a wonderful promise for the pilgrim who finds the way into the city, the kingdom, the church.
November 21 - 1 John 4:7-21
Like a fine oak tree, with many strong, leafy branches, is this picture of the Love of God. The ceaseless good will, the love of God, is the trunk of the tree. God loves us with an infinite love. God calls us by name. Because of God's love for us he sent his one and only Son, Jesus the Christ, to save us from our sins and ourselves. If God loves enough to rescue us, should we not also extend that love to others? Yes! But first we must accept that love for our own lives. This is often a great problem. We are harder on ourselves than God is. We will not accept the wonderful fact that God loves and accepts us. Accept your forgiveness, and then extend that love and forgiveness to others. Let us love one another. Love comes from God. We love because God first loved us. Love God with all your heart. Love your forgiven self. Love your neighbor in need. God is love. That, friend, is a wonderful tree.
November 22 - Hosea 3:1-5
The prophet's wife had deserted him. She gave herself to another. She was guilty of the sin of adultery. The prophet surely spent much time in tears over this great loss. We must not imagine that Hosea easily turned this betrayal into a sermon. The last thing that he wanted to do was talk about it. He struggled with himself, agonized in prayer, before he came to some understanding and acceptance. A prophet is not spared human emotions. Over time he began to think of his wife, the love of his youth. She had "hit the bottom." Would he help? Then in a flash of insight he saw that God had helped Israel even though the country went after false gods. Under the command of the Almighty he took her back, and they began the slow process of restoring trust in the marriage. Would not God do the same for Israel? Yes, if they would seek the Most High. They could be restored. We may all be restored to the love of God, if we seek God with our hearts, out of our sorrow, with willingness to change. Remember also that this event in the life of the prophet is not a prescription for every separation. If you experience such a separation find good counsel and support in a church family.
November 23 - Psalm 126:1-6
"Bringing in the sheaves. Bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing. Bringing in the sheaves." Remember singing that old gospel song? Many of us learned it in Sunday School. In many churches the Sunday School began with an opening assembly. In that gathering of all the classes the roll would be taken, announcements made, birthdays remembered, and hymns would be sung. Isn't it interesting how we remember those old hymns? The tunes, and a smattering of the words, remain with us over the years. Have you ever read through the words of such hymns and wondered how they helped your parents or grandparents? What mighty struggles did they go through? Did they draw strength from the hymns? Probably So! "Bringing in the Sheaves," which finds its inspiration in this scripture, is a hymn of rejoicing after long labor, of harvest after patient waiting and working. The Lord restored the fortunes of Zion. After the tears there was recovery. The rainbow follows the rain. Songs of joy follow the work and tears. It is still true.
November 24 - Hosea 14:4-9
The prophet Hosea, whose name means "salvation," served as a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel from 753 until 715 B.C. His main message was that Israel had sinned by following false gods. If they would not repent they would be destroyed. He began his work during the prosperous time of Jeroboam the second. The wealthy gained more riches, but the poor were oppressed. Morals were in decline. It was one of those borderlines in the history of a people. There was time to do those things that would help the nation. The true values could be recovered. But the time was short. Soon it would be too late. The moral decay, the loss of values, the oppression of the poor, and the division of the people into separate classes would lead to a downfall. It came in 722 B.C. when the capital city of Samaria was captured by Assyrian forces. The last four chapters of Hosea look forward to a time when the nation would return to its Godly roots, when life would be restored. Read these words of hope a second time. Notice the many vivid images of new life: dew, blossom, roots, fragrance, and many others. Let the wise one discern the times. It is a word for us, in this wonderful country of ours.
November 25 - Joel 2:27-32
The prophet Joel, whose name means "the Lord is God," prophesied to the Southern Kingdom of Judah from about 835 to 796 B.C. It was a time of trouble. The wicked Queen Athaliah had seized the throne, killing all the royal heirs except one who was hidden. Her brief reign was filled with wickedness. The prophet saw in a plague of locusts a sign of disaster to come. The judgment of God will be like a locust swarm, destroying everything in its path. The day of the Lord will be a day of clouds and gloom. The sun and moon will refuse to shine. The stars will be hidden. "Rend your heart, and not your garments," is the plea of Joel. Return. God will forgive. God will give the Spirit to those who seek with their whole heart. In days gone by the Spirit had been given to prophets and kings, but in the day of repentance the spirit will be poured out on all people. The young will speak words of wisdom. The elderly will catch a renewed vision of hope. And everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved. It is a great promise. It was fulfilled in the coming of Christ, whose apostles experienced the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost. (See Acts, chapter two.)
November 26 - Amos 5:18-27
Amos prophesied to the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the eighth century before Christ. He spoke words of warning in the hope that the people would hear and change their ways. This passage begins by describing the "day of the Lord." The people expected wealth and riches and fame on that day. It was to be a surprise. It was to be darkness not light. In poetic fashion he tells the wayward people that they will think that they are safe, only to discover that they have run into a greater difficulty. They will run from a lion and run into a bear. Without change in their lives destruction is certain. Next, Amos attacks the hypocrisy of the worshipers. They claim to be righteous. They attend the worship services. They pretend that they are living the kind of lives they should be living. But, in fact, they are mistreating the poor, cheating the buyer, using dishonest weights in measuring out the grain, and worshiping idols. They were rich and lazy and proud. In one of the greatest passages of the Bible Amos speaks for the Almighty who says that there is no delight in false solemn assemblies, no joy in pretending to worship. What delights the Most High is justice in dealings with others, and righteousness in dealing with self and God. They were greatly offended. Many people in our day would be.
November 27 - Jonah 4:1-11
Jonah was a sulky prophet. The Lord God commanded him to go to Nineveh, the capital city of the dread Assyrian empire. Jonah immediately fled in the opposite direction. His sea voyage ended in near disaster, but he was rescued from the belly of a great fish. You may want to read the first three chapters to remind yourself of these events. In chapter four we find that Jonah had finally gone to Nineveh, had preached repentance, and had been successful. The people of the city had repented, from the king to the people on the streets. Was Jonah happy about his success? No. He had hoped that they would not repent and the wrath of God would be upon them. So he wandered east of the city , sat down and sulked. The Lord taught him a lesson with a vine. It was God's vine. He had given it. It was his to take away. Jonah had no right to be angry about the vine. Neither had he any right in being angry about the people of the city. They, too, were God's. God loved the Ninevites. This is a key insight in the Old Testament, that God's love extends beyond Israel and Israelites. God loves people other than us. God wants them to repent and be saved. Think about it.
November 28 - Micah 4:1-4
Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the last quarter of the eighth century B.C. It was a time of transition from prosperity to poverty to the destruction of Samaria in 722 B.C. There was a general falling of moral standards. The people became less centered upon the True God. They worshiped power, fortune, luck. They cheated and gambled. They became more savage and vulgar. The urban rich swallowed up family farms. In this time Micah pronounced warnings. Turn before it is too late. Samaria will be a heap of rubble. But like the other prophets Micah also saw into the distance. He saw a time of returning, purification, restoration. In that day, says the prophet, in one of the most important verses in the Bible, the swords will be turned into plow blades. Spears will be made into pruning hooks. War will be abandoned. Peace will prevail in that kingdom, in that day. Those who follow the Christ have found great truth and hope in these words. They surely are a goal of our days and years.
November 29 - Habakkuk 2:1-20
This prophet, about whom we know very little, prophesied during the sixth century B.C., during the last days of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. In this chapter the prophet says he will wait for word from the Lord. In the preceding chapter he asked how long would the wicked swallow up the righteous. Wait for the answer. It will come. If it lingers be patient. It will be plain as a bill board. The sinner is proud, arrogant, drunken, greedy, but the just person will live by faith. (Thus St. Paul in the New Testament.) Habakkuk sings a song of five woes. Woe to him: 1) who piles up stolen goods, 2) who builds his realm by unjust gain, 3) who builds a city with bloodshed and crime, 4) who gets his neighbors drunk, 5) who talks to a stone (idol). Note another famous saying: "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him." Chapter four, verses seventeen and eighteen, contain a most beautiful prayer. Here is a great soul, speaking to you and me, who live twenty five hundred years after him.
November 30 - Zechariah 9:9-12
This speaker for God preached after the people had been sent into the Babylonian exile. They were exiled for seventy years. Then some were allowed to return to Israel. It was a time of new freedom, a difficult time, for the land was in ruins, inhabited by enemies. To rebuild a land (or a life) from the ruins is a mighty task. It took courage and perseverance. Several prophets strengthened the people with words of wisdom. Haggai, Obadiah, Malachi, and Zechariah were among those. In this passage, which in our worship we connect to Palm Sunday, the prophet looks off into the distance and sees a king riding into Jerusalem. This king will come in peace. The time for warfare will be ended. No more the war chariot, the battle bow. Here is a king riding on a donkey. If he were a warrior he would ride on a great horse. This king brings peace and hope. Indeed, the people were called "prisoners of hope." The king will proclaim peace to all the nations. His rule will extend from sea to shining sea, from the great River to the ends of the earth. Such a king came in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the prince of peace. He is our peace, the king riding upon a donkey.
December 1 - Psalm 129:1-8
"They have not prevailed!" The enemies of Israel did their worst. They came with armies, with sword and spear, with chariot and war horses. They destroyed. They took Israel into a cruel exile. But they have not prevailed. So sang the pilgrim on the way to keep the feast in Jerusalem. The enemies of the people had not gained the victory. The picture painted with words is that of a plow being drawn over the back of the land. It causes deep gashes in the land, in the people. Then an amazing thing happens. The Lord cuts the cords which bind the plow to the horses, so the plowing stops. But the enemy does not know that the plow has been cut loose. He goes on following the horse as if nothing has happened. The land, the people, rejoice. They have been set free from the long oppression. God Most High has done this. God sets us free from long oppression, from old wounds, from deep hurts. God will free and heal. You might not know for a time that this has occurred. Look around. Look at your life. Discover what God has done for you. You might begin at church, in prayer.
December 2 - Psalm 130:1-8
On one level this song is a simple prayer based upon past, present, and future. The Psalmist brings his sins before God, hoping that God has erased the indictments against him. Then the singer stands in silence, waiting for an answer. Finally, the singer looks into the future and reaches out for hope in God, who will redeem Israel from all its sins. In this manner we may bring our prayers to God. We may confess our sins. We may wait patiently before the Lord. We may look confidently into the future made possible by God's forgiving mercy. But this Psalm also reflects the depths of despair that each human soul, journeying between birth and death, has felt from time to time. As such this Psalm reaches into the agony of our human condition. We have felt despair. We have cried. We have known sorrow deeper than tears. The message to those in such a situation is where to look. There is a light beyond the darkness. There is hope beyond pain. Look for God. The Almighty shares your sufferings. The Most High is with you in your depths. Look for God. Cry to God. You will find answer. Even the darkness reminds us of light. And there is a redeemer.
December 3 - Revelation 1:9-20
John shares the humanity of the reader in three ways: He is a fellow sufferer. He is one who yearns for the kingdom. He is also one who must wait for that better day with patient endurance. John wrote to people in difficult days. It is interesting that he writes from Patmos, a barren rock of an island in the Aegean Sea. He was in exile, a prisoner, because of his faith in Christ. It was there, in the least likely place, that the Lord spoke to him in visions. Remember that he was worshiping on the Lord's day. Though he was in exile he knew when and where to look. He saw one whose appearance reflected dignity, sacredness, wisdom, discernment, and triumph. It was the Son of Man, whose voice was like many rushing waters (as in Ezekiel), whose face was glowing with the light of God, whose mouth spoke God's word, and in whose hands were the little band of struggling churches of that day and time. It is a great message that God speaks to the weary exile of that day. God speaks to us in our weariness, in our struggle to survive and to remain genuinely human. God holds the churches securely. And each church has its angel. Many layers of meaning here.
December 4 - Revelation 2:1-7
December 4-10 Seven Churches in Revelation
Ephesus was the most famous city in Ionia. (All the seven churches were located in the western part of present day Turkey.) Athenians had founded it in 1000 B.C. It was noted for its style of columns and its temple to Artemis, the latter regarded as one of the wonders of the ancient world. The church had many strengths, but it was in danger of forgetting its basic purpose. There is a certain great risk in success. The story is told of a mountain town which built up a great tourist trade around the clear, bubbling spring, which provided clear, pure water. In time the growth and development of the town was so great that the spring became muddy, and no longer held its original charm. Churches can succeed and in the sweep of success forget their original purpose. It is a necessary challenge to remember to love God and help people. Churches (and people) can forget their first love. The tree of life is a promise to those who seek and find their way back to God.
December 5 - Revelation 2:8-11
Smyrna was a wealthy, well planned city. Its natural harbor and many roads guaranteed much trade. In contrast the church was crushed and destitute. This is a passage of contrasts. Note: 1)the First and the Last; 2)became dead and came to life; 3)poverty and abundance; 4)unto death and a crown of life. The suffering church is told not to be afraid. The troubles will not last long. Be faithful and a crown will be yours. Beyond the grief, beyond the opposition, beyond the aching hunger is the crown of life. And those who endure will not fear the second death, the death of judgment. The old hymn goes: "Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; this day the noise of battle, the next the victor's song. To him who overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the King of Glory shall reign eternally." That's it, exactly.
December 6 - Revelation 2:12-17
Pergamum was the capital of a Roman province. It was a great cultural center. Its library was second largest in the ancient world, containing over two hundred thousand parchment rolls. Parchment was developed in that city. Pergamum would not give up Roman ways or Roman gods. Persecution came from that center of power. It was seen as the "devil's throne." The church is complimented greatly for its determination to remain in a difficult place. The church is to conquer for Christ, not to flee to easy places. They were to stay and witness to the powers opposing them. The one with the sharp sword reminded them not to fall to the lusts of the day. Remain true! was the word. I heard this old rhyme somewhere: "Some like the grassy meadows green, beneath the sweet church bell. I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." That was the church in Pergamum.
December 7 - Revelation 2:18-29
Thyatira was a frontier town on the road from Pergamum to Sardis. Its main business was wool and dyeing of cloth. There were also workers in leather, linen, and bronze in the city. These, and a few other business groups, were the center of life in that inland city. The trades were organized into groups which met regularly to discuss their business. The meetings were often held in pagan temples. In such a location it was customary to begin with a sacrifice to the god in whose temple they met. On occasion the business session would be followed by a drunken orgy. So the threat of idolatry and fornication was real to anyone desiring to do business in that city. How far do you compromise? Can a Christian lower standards in order to be a part of the business group? Harsh words are given for some person who sought to lead Christians in the direction of compromise. Those who still resisted are encouraged to be steadfast. To them will come a reward of authority and vision. The morning star will end the night of temptation. The temptations to worship gods of power and money and lust are still around. Be vigilant.
December 8 - Revelation 3:1-6
Moffatt translated 2 Timothy 3:5 as follows: "Though they keep up a form of religion, they will have nothing to do with it as a force." This is the problem of the church in Sardis. In ancient times Sardis was immensely wealthy. Its most powerful king, Croesus, started a war with the Persians. The Persians defeated Sardis in the field and besieged its citadel. Thinking that their fortress was impenetrable the Sardians posted no guards on its heights. One night a group of Persian soldiers found their way up the walls and soon Sardis was taken. They were unconcerned and failed to watch. "Wake!" "Watch!" "Work!" are the words of the Son of Man to the church in Sardis. Do not be like the ancients. Be alert. Do not let apathy cause you to fall. There are things which we must do to remain strong and growing. Find them and do them. A garment of victory awaits.
December 9 - Revelation 3:7-13
Philadelphia was an outpost of Greek culture and language. It was on the main road out toward the East. Also, it was in an area subject to earthquakes. Fear of falling debris was just under the surface. They led unsettled lives. When tremors would come, the residents would scurry out of the town and into the surrounding country. They returned as soon as the quaking ceased. Thus they had a pattern of flight. Death was not a remote possibility, but a daily threat. The message to the church there is to hold steady. The person who overcomes will be made a pillar, deeply rooted, unshakeable. It was a real promise to those saints who sought to be faithful in a hazardous area. The temple of faith, built on Christ, will not be destroyed by the quakes of life. Though the earth shake, that temple will not fall.
December 10 - Revelation 3:14-22
Look at these powerful words. Here the Amen, the faithful and true witness, whose words are without dispute, says that the church in Laodicea, is lifeless, tepid, lukewarm. Now the city of Laodicea had many hot springs. People would travel long distances for the heated baths. It was cleansing, healing. So they knew the value of water which was warm. The opposite of that warm water was cold water. It was undesirable for their purposes. They knew what to do with cold water, heat it up. But the in between temperature was too comfortable. It was not cold enough to require action. It was not hot enough to cleanse or heal. The church there was like lukewarm water. It was neither hot or cold. The saddest thing was that the church was not even aware of the problem. They could not see their situation. Laodicea was also the home of an ancient eye medicine, Phrygian powder. It was shipped to many distant lands to help with sight. But the Laodiceans could not see their own difficulties. They needed a renewed vision. Christ stands at the door and knocks. They must rouse themselves and open the door. The Christ will enter and begin a real time of spiritual warmth and renewal. We could all use that.
December 11 - Revelation 4:1-11
From time to time we have all felt that life was coming apart, that it had no center, that it was fragmented. The prevailing world view of secular people is that there is no unity to life, or only such unity as we can temporarily produce from our own minds. This great chapter is the answer to those dilemmas. Here it is clearly shown to St. John, who is in the Spirit, that there is a unity, there is a center to all things. The throne is the center. The One seated on the throne is the unity of all things. Surrounding the throne are the twenty four elders, both the old twelve tribes and the new twelve apostles are represented. A rainbow resembling an emerald encircles the throne. And remember that the stone on the high priests vest which represents Judah was an emerald. The approach to the throne is a sea, recalling baptism. Gathered around are the animals and the people. They join the song of all the worlds singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. The elders cast their crowns before the Lord and offer three-fold praise. There is a center. Life without that center is "eccentric," like much of the world is today. Think about it.
December 12 - Revelation 5:1-14
Some, perhaps many, people of this secular age think that the universe is silent. They think there is no word about heaven, about right or wrong, about truth and beauty. All that is just sentiment produced in our minds, and one person's ideas are just as good as another's. For them there is no word from God. This wonderful chapter is the answer to all those who think that the universe is silent, that the scroll is forever sealed. St. John weeps in heaven. He weeps because there is no one found to open the scroll and bring a word to him, about him, and about us. But one of the elders said that the Lion of Judah had triumphed. And John then saw a lamb which had been slain, standing up, alive, in the center of the throne. He (the Christ) had triumphed. The lamb had conquered sin and death. The lamb enables God's word of salvation to be spoken. There is a word for us. The universe is not indifferent, silent. There is a God who rules and a Son who cares. Then all the elders, all the angels, and all of creation joined together in singing praises to the lamb. The living creatures said, "Amen." The twenty four elders fell down and worshiped. Something like this happens each Sunday in church.
December 13 - Revelation 12:1-17
Apocalyptic writing is filled with symbols and numbers and puzzles, but one thing is very clear. This writing is about the great struggle between good and evil. This passage is about the birth of the Messiah. It begins in heaven with the woman giving birth to a male child who is to shepherd the nations. The result is not peace, but war. The red dragon wants to crush the good child before the child can confront him. The scene is in heaven and God secures the child and the mother finds sustenance in the wilderness. Next a great war breaks out in heaven and the dragon and his angels are defeated and cast down to earth. Verse eleven shows that this writing is meant for a group of Christians under persecution. Their lives were in great danger. The dragon persecutes the woman and her child, but she is given spirit wings to flee to safety. Even the great flood of wrath and evil is absorbed by the earth. Angry with his failure to stop the Messiah's birth and growth into manhood, the dragon decides to make war on the children of this line, the church, the believers. This is where John Milton drew inspiration for the war and great debate in his "Paradise Lost." The struggle still goes on. The dragon wages war. The church resists with spirit power. It is symbolic, but realistic.
December 14 - Revelation 22:1-7
John's last vision is recorded in these verses. He sees the river of life. It is similar to Ezekiel's vision, except that the water is coming from the throne. Down it goes, into the city. On either side is the tree of life, bearing fruit each month. There will be food for each season. And the leaves, of course, are for the healing of all the nations. The curse of death, sorrow, suffering, cancer, flood, earthquake, etc., will be reversed. There will be no more curse, no more sadness, no more tears, for the former things will be gone, the new will have come. All hungers will be satisfied, all thirsts quenched. The writer attests these things as true and quotes the Christ himself to verify their truth and immediacy. The last of the "blesseds" (there are seven in Revelation) are the ones who keep the words of this prophecy. Indeed they are true words. They express our certain faith that there will be a time beyond the evils of this age when things will be made right. Evil will be defeated completely and good will find its victory complete. Amen. Let it be so.
December 15 - Psalm 136:1-26
Here is a responsive reading. It was read to bring to memory the mighty acts of the Living God. The litany begins with a call to thanksgiving. Thank God , the Most High God, the God who is good. Next the singer sings the history. God created the world. His "understanding" made the heavens. God spread out the earth upon the waters. The sun and moon are made and set in their places. The sky is filled with stars without number. This same God rescued the people of Israel when they were slaves. God struck the oppressors with the mighty plagues, including the death of the first born. God led through the Red Sea. God led through the wilderness and into the promised land. God gave the land to the people as an inheritance forever. God sets them free and cares for every creature. During this litany all the people have been repeating the reason for all of this. "God's steadfast love endures forever." It is the love of God that is the root, the source of God's dealings with the people. Remember that. "God so loved the world..." Remember how we memorized that in Sunday School? It's still true.
December 16 - Psalm 137:1-9
This is a Psalm of bitter anguish. Remembered are the days and nights of destruction brought upon Israel by the mighty conquerors, the Babylonians. In a foreign land they were weeping, forced to leave their homes and live in exile. They spent their days in forced labor under the Babylonians. At night they were too tired to enjoy a song. But their captors required singing. They sang of Jerusalem. The rest of this sad Psalm is a wish that Edom and Babylon the mighty would be destroyed. The images of dashing little ones on the rocks is not a pleasant thought. But it clearly reveals the depth of the Psalmists feelings. This image is included in scripture not because it is right, but because it reveals the anguish in the soul of the person. A religious person is not spared anger and grief. It is a good thing to take anger and grief to God, as the Psalmist does in this song. "Take them to Jesus," the old gospel song says. That is good advice.
December 17 - Psalm 139:1-24
This is truly a wonderful Psalm. It raises the question of hiding from God. When you were young, did you ever hide something from your brother or sister? Did you have a secret place where you could put things which you did not want anyone to see? We all had our hiding places. This Psalm is about hiding from God. It cannot be done. If we flee to the heavens, God is there. If we sink to the depths, God is there also. If we go east we find God. And in the sunset we find the presence of the Almighty. We cannot escape from God. This is good news. It means that wherever we are God is close by. We cannot find any night dark enough to keep us from God. We are never alone in this journey between the hither and father shore. We do not really have to cry to God asking for God's presence. We may ask God to show us where the Almighty is. God is already there. Rejoice! when we awake we are still with God. It is a great comfort to think that God loves us that much. We will never be forsaken.
December 18 - Psalm 148:1-14
Few Psalms reach the joyful heights achieved in this song of praise. In fact it begins in the heights, calling upon the creatures of heaven to give praise. Let the angels, the heavenly hosts, sun, moon and stars praise the name of the Lord. Even the waters above the earth are called upon to render praise. Next the creatures of earth are called to adoration. Listen to the list: sea creatures, lightning, hail, snow, clouds, storm winds; mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, and all beasts, both wild and tame are called. And all people: kings and princes, young men and maidens, old people and young children, are called to offer songs of praise to the Living God. God's name alone is exalted. That is a good thing to remember in this most busy of seasons. We tend to exalt things. We buy ourselves into a credit crunch. We wear ourselves out with a routine of parties and events. Maybe a little quietness is appropriate. And in that quietness you might find yourself lifted up in praise to the Living God. What do you think?
December 19 - Matthew 1:1-17
This may seem like a very dull, prosaic passage of scripture. But look again. This list of relatives roots Jesus the Messiah in time and space. He has a history, a family. He was not some pretend person, a visible but unreal being. This was a real, human person, with relatives, in-laws, family secrets and all. God really did come into our human lives in the person of Jesus. Another interesting thing about these verses is the mix of characters. There is one foreigner, one woman of unclear reputation, one leper, several wicked kings, one religious reformer, and many other really good people. It is the normal kind of mix for a family. Some are good. Some are not so good. Here is a person rooted in history, not an apparition, not a figment of the imagination. The Messiah, the chosen one, comes from a normal family. Think about it.
December 20 - Matthew 1:18-25
He could have raised quite a ruckus. His own love, his betrothed was with child. We can only imagine the feelings Joseph must have had in dealing with a real human crisis. It is more than interesting that Joseph, though greatly disturbed, was not closed to communication with God. Sometimes, when we get hurt and angry, the last thing we want to do is talk to God. But this real crisis did not prevent Joseph from hearing the voice of God. The Lord appeared to him in a dream. Doesn't that recall another, the father of an earlier Joseph, who also had a vision of a ladder from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending? Remember Jacob's ladder? So this descendant of Jacob found himself in the Lord's presence by means of a dream. It is more than a miracle that he believed it. The message was certainly momentous. This child was to be the savior. With his beloved was the Chosen One, the Messiah, the infant who would be called Emmanuel. Joseph did what the angel had commanded him. He believed the "unbelievable," and we are among the billions who have benefited from his faith.
December 21 - Matthew 2:1-12
Who would journey for many, many miles, through hostile country, traveling only at night, following a star? Three God caught magi did. They followed the call of a God unknown to them. They faithfully and steadfastly continued until they arrived. You would have thought that the locals would have been ecstatic. Here were three kings, learned and wise, coming to do homage to the King of Israel, the Chosen One. But verse three tells us that the ruler, Herod, and all of the people of Jerusalem were disturbed by this news. It was the greatest good news. They received it as bad news. "Where is the Messiah to be born?" Didn't Herod know? "In Bethlehem," the scribes said. So to the City of David he sent the magi, to find the Messiah. They rejoiced to see that the star still led them. They found him, the baby, with his mother. Worshiping him they bowed and offered gifts. Here was the one, the One. This child was the fulfillment of their quest. They had overcome many obstacles to kneel before him. So should we. Through a God-sent dream, they realized Herod's plot and returned by another way.
December 22 - Luke 1:5-25
Zechariah and Elizabeth had lived exemplary lives. They were good people. But they had not been blessed with children. This is the record of how they found out that they were to have a special child. No less a visitor than the angel Gabriel brought the message to the priest as he served in the temple. Look at the magnitude of the angel's words: 1. A son would be born to the childless couple. 2. He will make a path for the coming Messiah. 3. The boy would be as great as the mightiest prophet, Elijah. 4. John (which means "God is gracious") would change the hearts of the people. Quite a bit to assimilate in the course of a normal working day! Yet this is the message delivered to Zechariah as he served his regular schedule in the temple. We are not surprised that he disbelieved. It was just too much to take in. Can you see him shaking his head? It was too good to be true. But it was, and Zechariah was made speechless. Elizabeth, however, rejoiced in the Lord. A time of great importance was just ahead.
December 23 - Luke 1:26-38
Verse thirty-seven is the key verse in this reading. "For nothing is impossible with God." It was Gabriel the angel again. He had traveled to Nazareth in Galilee to find a certain betrothed virgin by the name of Mary. Nothing is told of the selection process. How was this person picked out? We do not know, cannot know on this side of the river. But this young Jewish girl was picked to be, as she was later called, the "Mother of God." Look at the startling words: "The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid. You will have a child. He will be called the Son of the Most High. His kingdom will never end. The Holy Spirit will come upon you." This would be enough to cause panic in most of us. Just the appearance of the angel would certainly do that for many. But Mary, the young teenager, accepted the news and said that she would serve the Lord. Nothing was impossible. May we find just a bit of that holy confidence when God calls upon us to do something. Her decision was necessary for Christmas to occur.
December 24 - Luke 1 57-80
Zechariah got his voice back. This is the story. When the previously childless Elizabeth had her baby the neighbors rejoiced with her. They laughed and they cried and they congratulated the parents. Can you imagine that they looked at the baby and noticed that he looked a lot like the father? But he had a chin like his mothers folks. They also suggested names for the new baby. One said that he should be named after his father. Then Zechariah broke his silence and said that he would be named "John." Here was another surprise (and a clue that great things were happening) for Zechariah had been silent since that day in the temple. And the name "John" was not in his family. But it was a day of miracles, so who would complain? Indeed, who would complain? No "bah humbug" that day.
December 25 - Luke 2:1-20
Words are poor servants when describing this passage of scripture. It is difficult to catch in speech the meaning of this event. Hymns come closer to sufficing. "O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie..." "Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king..." Heaven touched earth that night. Angels breathed earth air. Light pierced the darkness. The dark would never be the same again. A baby was born in humble surroundings, not in the palaces of power. A newborn's cry was heard, and a multitude of angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will to men." Lowly shepherds hurried to find the little one, leaving their shepherding behind for a time. Joseph smiled. Mary pondered. The shepherds praised God. It was a night of miracles. The savior was born. "O come to us. Abide with us, our Lord, Emmanuel." You may participate in this miracle. Jesus is your savior...yours!
December 26 - Luke 2:25-35
He was an old man. The chiseling lines of the shaping years were on his face, his hands, his neck. Deep set eyes reflected the memory of many seasons. His smile was broad and genuine, a light pushing back the gathering dark. In his poem, "A Song for Simeon," T. S. Eliot described him as one whose life was light as a feather in the hand. Old and withered! Alert and hopeful! Simeon awaited the coming of the Messiah. The Spirit had promised that he would see the consolation of Israel. It was so. It happened on the day described in this passage. What a day! Some dreams are fulfilled. Though we may lose much across the journey of life, some dreams remain. Some come true. Here old Simeon held a baby, and his life's purpose was fulfilled. He could go any time then. He could depart in peace, having seen the salvation of the Lord. May it be so for us.
December 27 - Luke 2:36-40
The signs, the clues to the great event, continued. A prophet by the name of Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the northern tribe of Asher, came up to them and rejoiced. Did she hold the baby? Did she look into his eyes? Could she see there the strength, the compassion, the suffering and the victory? Here in this baby was the redemption of the people. It was a glorious moment. Fasting and praying had prepared her for this moment, when the widow found the Son. She told everyone about the child. So the lines of meaning and memory of the Hebrew people came running together in that moment of time. It was the Moment, the center point of history. It was the world changing, time splitting, people saving moment. It had come. It still continues. We all have a part in that holy story.
December 28 - Micah 6:6-8
"What shall I bring before the Lord?" This was Micah's question, asked to Israel many centuries ago. What do I bring with me when I come in to worship God? Shall I bring a burnt offering? Animal sacrifice ended many centuries ago in the religious tradition we share with Abraham's children. It is difficult for us to imagine what religious significance could be found in such a rite. But remember that sacrifice was a daily ritual in the temple in Jerusalem. Nevertheless the implied answer to Micah's question is "no." The prophet presses further. What if I bring thousands of rams, rivers of oil? What if I offer my first born for a sacrifice? The implied answer is even more certain. No!. Then the answer is given, in words so familiar to all of us. "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." The answer is short and lucid. Justice and mercy and fellowship with God (as in worship) were the keys to goodness. They still are. Cogitate on this passage as the year ends and a new one begins.
December 29 - Micah 7:14-20
These are the last words of the Prophet Micah. Like most of the prophets he ends with a word of hope. After stating that Israel is like one who gathers summer fruit but there is none to gather, the prophet looks for the day when Israel will arise. "Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light," the prophet sings. The passage of scripture for today is a conversation with the Almighty. "Shepherd us," cries Israel. "I will show you my wonders as in Egypt," replies the Most High. The nations who conquered them will themselves be conquered. They will lick dust like a snake. But the prophet then sings for all of us when he says that God is a God of forgiveness, who does not stay angry forever, who delights to show mercy. Our sins will be trampled in the dust or hurled into the depths of the sea. It is a wonderful promise. In Christ it is so. All the sins of all your years may be forgiven. Do not take them into the New Year with you.
December 30 - Nahum 2:1-13
There are times when we think that evil will prevail. Ask someone who lived through the difficult days of World War Two. At times the power of the aggressor seemed so great that it appeared that no one could stop it. But it was stopped. This is similar to the message of the Prophet Nahum who prophesied about 650 years before Christ. Assyria was the mighty world power. The Assyrians plundered, oppressed, and slaughtered their enemies. Their main economic growth came from conquered people. In this writing the prophet pronounces doom on Assyria. The capital city, Nineveh, is under attack. A battle strategy involving the river gates is employed. The soldiers clad in scarlet, flow into the city, like the river. Nineveh, conqueror of the world, falls. Remember that as you prepare for a new turn of the calendar. Wrong seems so unbeatable and right seems so frail. But wrong will not last. "They will not endure!" shouts the hobbit in Tolkien's famous trilogy. And so it is. Truth will triumph. Truth triumphed at the fall of the Berlin Wall.
December 31 - Zechariah 2:1-13
The exiles had begun returning to Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity. Of course they started to rebuild the temple. The building did not proceed well. There was opposition on all sides, fighting enemies without and within. The biggest enemy was despair. "It will never happen!" "It cannot be done!" These were the cries of the people. Zechariah (and Haggai) brought messages of hope and encouragement. The Lord would restore Judah, the apple of his eye. "For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the Lord. (And did so in the person of Jesus.) Zechariah paints a word picture of Jerusalem restored. It is a city without walls. No walls will be needed. There will be nothing to fear, and no need to lock the gates at night. The Lord himself will be their wall. God is to be a wall of fire around it! Glory (God's light) will shine from within the city! These visions were the deciding factor in the continuation of the temple building. Remember, at year's end, when we look over the tasks left undone, that the Lord helps the builder. Take up the tools again. Finish the work.
devotions by Bill Spencer
