DEUTERONOMY 18:15-20

THE BACKGROUND

The book of Deuteronomy is a collection of Moses’ final instructions. Moses addresses the people of Israel, prior to their entrance into the promised land.  Moses will not follow, but will end his days at Mount Nebo (also called Mount Pisgah).  Earlier in the story, the people were fearful of seeing God’s face or hearing his voice, lest they die.  They asked Moses to be their intermediary.  Moses would receive God’s word, and relay it to the people.  Moses became their first prophet. 

THE DETAIL

• Moses stated that since they are going their separate ways, God will provide them a replacement prophet; they won’t be left without a spokesperson. This is what they asked for back at Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai).  The quote is a paraphrase of Deut. 5:22-27.  (vv. 15-16)
•  Through Moses, God agrees that they would indeed die, if they heard the voice of the Lord. (v. 17)
• Then, God lays out how a prophet works.  God speaks to the prophet, and the prophet speaks the words to the people. God will hold the people and the prophet accountable for obeying the Lord’s commandments.  (vv. 18-20)

THE TAKEAWAY

The writers of the gospels in the New Testament, especially Matthew, tell us that Jesus is the new Moses; he is the head of all the prophets.  Jesus not only speaks for God, but he is God Incarnate.  Now, with the gift of the Holy Spirit given to all believers, we can speak with God directly, without the need of a go-between. 

1 CORINTHIANS 8

THE BACKGROUND

In first century Palestine, Jews did not eat much meat, except for fish.  It was not an everyday food, because it was very expensive. The exception was the meat sacrificed by the pagans to their gods.  This meat was available and cheap.  The Jews were forbidden from eating this meat.  Paul preached about the freedom of Christians to eat anything; that the Jewish dietary laws were nullified by Jesus life, death and resurrection.  Some of the Christians in Corinth understood Paul’s teaching, took it to heart, and they ate meat.  This caused quite a stir, since this meat had been sacrificed to pagan gods.  Some said it was defiled meat, and should not be consumed.  In today’s second lesson, Paul explains what they should do.

THE DETAIL

• Paul starts out by saying that while they might have true knowledge, love is better than knowledge.  Love builds up (the body of Christ).  (vv. 1-3)
• He then says that they are indeed right.  The meat offered to idols is not really defiled, since those idols are fake. There is only one God, and one Lord Jesus Christ.  The rest is nonsense, and they really could eat that meat.  (vv. 4-6)
• Next comes the “but”.  The community of believers was a mix of Christians who were well-versed in the teachings of Jesus and believers who were recent converts.  The faith and knowledge of the recent converts would have still been shaky.  There would still be some lingering emotional ties to their old pagan beliefs.  Paul calls them “weak believers”.  Paul points out to the “strong believers” that when they eat meat sacrificed to those fake idols, it becomes a stumbling block to the new believers’ faith.  (vv. 7-12a)
• Anything that we do to cause another’s faith to falter is a “sin against Christ” (v. 12b)
• Paul’s says that he’d rather be a vegetarian than sin against Christ.

THE TAKEAWAY

What Paul is saying is that yes, as Christians, we are not bound to keep the Kosher laws of the Jewish faith.  We have the freedom to eat whatever we like.  But he tempers this freedom with love and consideration for the community of believers.  Out of love and respect for our brothers and sisters, Paul says that it may be necessary to set aside some of our freedom out of respect for others.  In doing so, the body of Christ becomes stronger. This is a perfect definition of agape* love—the sacrificial love that you give for others.  Let us pray that we can all find it in our hearts to give more of this love to our communities and our churches.

* In the Greek language, there are several words for love.  The Greek word agape means the sort of love that involves the giving of self.  For example, it is the type of love that is involved when a married couple disagrees on something, but one gives in out of love for the other. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Here in the USA, we cherish our freedoms.  In grammar school, I was taught that I had as much freedom as possible, until it affects the freedom of others.  Per Paul’s teaching, might there be times when we should consider sacrificing some of our freedom out of love for our neighbor?

MARK 1:21-28

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus has called his first disciples, and has begun his teaching/preaching ministry.  He begins his preaching within the Jewish congregation, in the synagogues.

THE DETAIL

• Jesus enters a synagogue in Capernaum, and teaches “having authority”. People are astounded. (vv. 21-22)
• A man with an unclean spirit appears.  The spirits speak against Jesus, but in the process, they proclaim him to be “the Holy One of God”.  (vv. 23-24)
• Jesus casts the demons out of the man, simply with his words.  (vv. 25-26)
• Those who witness this are astounded.  They proclaim him to teach “with authority”.  They spread the news.

THE TAKEAWAY

As we read through the Gospels, one question is posed repeatedly—“Who is this Jesus of Nazareth?”  It is a question that many at the time were asking.  After all, Jesus was not a priest or a scribe, he was the son of a carpenter.  On the surface, he did not appear to have any qualifications for what he was doing. The miracles were one way that Jesus used to demonstrate his authority.  By providing clear authoritative preaching and demonstrating his power over the forces of evil, Jesus gets their attention.  In the process, his authority is proclaimed from the most unusual of sources; in this case, the unclean spirit proclaims him to be “the Holy One of God”.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Who do you believe Jesus is?  Just a carpenter’s son, or something more?

JONAH 3:1-5, 10

THE BACKGROUND

The story of Jonah and the whale is my best friend Rob’s favorite Old Testament story.  It is such a wild and outlandish story.  Weird stuff happens all through this four chapter book of the bible.  I encourage you to read it.  It is a short tale (a fish tail?)  But I wonder if my buddy Rob understands the God Lesson.  Without that, it’s just another fish story, about the big one that got away.

It helps to know that at the time this story was told, the people of Israel kept their religion to themselves.  They were not spreading the word.  To the contrary, they hated their neighbors, and shunned contact with the outside world.  They hated the Ninevites.  Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, one of their long-time arch enemies.  Plus, the Assyrians did not worship the Lord God Yahweh; they worshipped false gods.  In our story, God tells Jonah to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. Jonah did not take kindly to the order. He runs away in the opposite direction.

Most theologians consider this book to be a satirical fable.  Jonah personifies the attitudes of Israel, but God has other plans.  More on that in The Takeaway.  The writer of this book uses blistering satire to make his point. It is a fable because of the involvement of the large fish, especially so because of the fish’s paranormal behavior. If you feel strongly that this was a historical event and not a satirical fable, that’s OK, too.  Just be sure that you discover the God Lesson—what God wants you to learn from this fish tale.  If you want to discuss this further, I encourage you to leave a note below.

THE DETAIL

• In verse 3:1, God repeats the command that he gave Jonah in 1:2.  In between these verses is the story of Jonah’s refusal, heading in the opposite direction, a storm at sea, he’s thrown overboard, a “large fish” (not a whale) swallowed Jonah, spitting him ashore right where he needed to go to walk to Nineveh! 
• Jonah has a bad attitude.  He goes to this large city, but his heart is not in it.  He doesn’t even go to the city center to do his preaching.  I guess he figured a day’s walk was good enough. (vv. 3-4a)
• When he stops, he gives the sorriest repentance speech that ever was, and leaves. (v. 4b)
• The funny thing is that the people of Nineveh take this sorry prophecy very seriously.  Not only do the people and king fast & put on sackcloth as signs of their repentance, but they put sackcloth on the livestock, too! (vv.5-9)
• The surprise of the story comes in verse 10.  God sees their repentance, and changes his mind about the destruction he was going to unleash.
• If you read on, chapter 4 tells of Jonah’s anger at God’s mercy.  He is so angry that God has been merciful to these creeps that he just wants to die.

THE TAKEAWAY

This peculiar story is just as applicable to us today as it was for Israel back then.  We want God for ourselves, and are reluctant to share Him with others.  If we do share Him, we want them to come to God on our terms, by our rules.  There is no latitude for variation or difference.  God, on the other hand, has a heart that is much larger than ours. He loves everyone, and earnestly yearns for all to be in relationship with him.  He can tolerate our differences, if our heart is true.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I love my Old Lutheran liturgy, my Old German Lutheran hymns, all the candles and robes, and all the ceremony that goes with a traditional Lutheran worship service.  My definition of “Give Me that Old Time Religion” is quite a bit different than a Baptist’s definition, but I love it just the same.  Young people today listen to an entirely different style of music, with songs they hear on the Jesus Rock radio station.  There are electric guitars and drums!  But they do a fine job of worshiping our Lord. Can we be more tolerant of other Christians’ worship style and beliefs?  How should our evangelizing and welcoming mission be shaped to be more inclusive of other types of people?  Isn’t this the real work of the church?

1 CORINTHIANS 7:29-31

THE BACKGROUND

Chapter seven of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth is an interesting one.  He discusses various marital issues concerning the Christians there. Sometimes, he says his advice comes from the Lord.  Other times, he says it’s his opinion, and is not from the Lord.  Today’s verses are interesting to read and consider.  They come from the perspective that Paul and his followers expected Jesus to return at any moment.  Twenty centuries later, we know that this is not true.  We’ll get to that in a moment.  But first, let’s look at the verses.

THE DETAIL

• In verse 29a, Paul tells us that “the appointed time has grown short”.  He expects Jesus’ return very soon.  The advice to follow is based on this statement.
• Verses 29b-31a list some advice that seems very peculiar.  It is:
• Those who have wives should be as though they have none.
• Those who mourn should be as though there’s nothing to mourn.
• Those who buy goods should be as though they have nothing.
• Those who deal with the world should be as though they had no dealings with it.
• Verse 31b gives the reason:  “For the present form of this world is passing away.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Well, OK. Paul got that one wrong.  Jesus’ return wasn’t just around the corner.  But before we throw the baby out with the bath water, let’s think about this a moment.  He expected Jesus to arrive at any moment.  Because of this, he recommended a shift in priorities—a sharpened focus on spiritual matters. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Maybe, Paul’s advice is a good wakeup call for us. Sure, it’s a bit extreme, but think about it.  What would you do, if you knew Jesus was returning next month?

I heard a story, but I can’t remember who it was. (If you know, please tell me!) 

A famous old Christian teacher was playing croquet with his pupils.  He asked his students what they would do, if they knew Jesus was coming next week.  One said that he would stop playing the game, and make peace with his brother.  Another said they would go immediately and settle an outstanding debt.  Yet another said they would help the poor know Jesus.  They then asked the teacher what he would do.  The teacher said that he would continue playing the game.  What was the teacher’s point?  Was he complacent?  Or did he feel that his students should have already done the things they said they were going to do.  We should already have helped the poor, payed our debts, and made peace with our brother. Like the teacher, we could then simply enjoy the game, and wait for Jesus arrival.

MARK 1:14-20

THE BACKGROUND

Mark’s gospel jumps right to John the baptizer. No manger scenes or shepherds in the fields.  Inside of 13 verses, John preaches, and baptizes Jesus.  By verse 14, he is already arrested by Herod.  Now that John’s mission is complete, Jesus begins his. 

Today’s lesson is similar to last week’s lesson—the calling of Jesus’ first disciples.  There are slight differences, but that’s to be expected. Each gospel writer saw things through their own “lens”.  Plus, they didn’t write this stuff down right away.  They wrote it down decades later.  There are bound to be differences. 

THE DETAIL

• Once John’s work is through, Jesus proclaims that “the kingdom of God has come near”.  After all, God Incarnate is walking on the earth.  He is calling the people to come, listen, repent, and believe. (vv. 14-15)
• In this account, Jesus is walking along the lakeshore, when he sees Simon and Andrew.  He calls them to follow him, and they will fish for people (instead of fish).  (vv. 16-17)
• They drop everything, and immediately follow him. (v. 18)
• Jesus, Simon, and Andrew are still in the fishing village of Bethsaida.  (It is not mentioned here.  We know this from last week’s lesson, John 1:44.)  Immediately, Jesus spots James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They leave their father with the hired help, and follow Jesus and the others.  (vv. 19-20)

THE TAKEAWAY

• There is a sense of urgency in Mark’s writing.  Things happen immediately.  There is no “I’ll be along, as soon as I…”  His disciples drop everything and follow him.  Would we do the same?
• Jesus calls us all to come, listen, repent, and believe.  The kingdom of God has come near.  It is here now, at least in part.  Jesus dwells in our hearts, and we are his disciples.  This is the kingdom, at least until he returns.

1 SAMUEL 3:1-10

THE BACKGROUND

The story of Samuel is an interesting one, and I recommend that you read chapters 1 & 2, so that you can enjoy the whole story. Samuel is the son of a faithful woman named Hannah.  She was barren for many years.  After praying in the temple, God granted her request for a son.  As soon as he is weaned, she dedicates him to service to the Lord; she hands him over to the prophet Eli, to raise and train.  Today’s reading takes place in the temple.  According to Jewish tradition, Samuel is 12 years old when this occurs.

THE DETAIL

• Verse 1 tells us that the people of the Lord had fallen out of relationship with God.
• Eli is old, and Samuel is young.  It must be nighttime, the early morning hours, because the lamp of God was still burning.  (vv. 2-3) As specified in Exodus 27:21, this lamp was to burn “from evening until morning”. 
• The Lord calls to Samuel, who is in his bed.  Samuel has not heard the voice of the Lord before, so he thinks that Eli has called him.  He rushes to his side.  Eli denies calling him, and sends him back to bed.  This happens twice.  (vv. 4-7)
• When this happens a third time, Eli finally figures out what’s going on, and tells Samuel what to do. (vv. 8-9) 
• The Lord gives Samuel the bad news—Eli and his sons will not live much longer, because of their actions.  (vv. 11-14)
• Samuel doesn’t want to tell Eli this bad news.  Eli has been his mentor and perhaps like a father to him.  After all, he cared for him since he was a toddler. But Eli takes the news on the chin. He already knew this was coming. (vv. 15-18)
• This is the beginning of Samuel’s relationship with God, and the end of Eli’s. (v. 19)

THE TAKEAWAY

God calls us into His service.  Some heed the call, and others do not.  Let’s be like Samuel, saying “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

1 CORINTHIANS 6:12-20

THE BACKGROUND

Paul, Timothy, and Silas had started the church in Corinth, staying there “a considerable time.” (Acts 18:1-18)  But they had the Lord’s work to do, and moved on. A letter is sent to Paul, listing several problems that have arisen since his departure.  Paul’s letter is a response to the church in Corinth, to address these issues and set them back on the right path. 

THE DETAIL

• Some members of the church there are twisting Paul’s words regarding the freedom of the Christian from the Law of Moses.  Some feel that anything goes.  Paul quotes their sayings in verses 12 and 13a.  It appears that they are not only eating anything and everything. That’s pretty much OK.  But, they are having sex with prostitutes, saying “all things are lawful for me”.  This is not OK.
• Paul reminds them that since they are the Lord’s, when they lay with a prostitute, they also defile God.  (vv. 13b-18)
• We have all heard verse 19 when we were teenagers—“our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit”.  I am especially fond of verse 20—“…you were bought with a price…” 

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus “bought” us with his blood.  We belong to him.  Our lives are His.  We must live our lives to the glory of His name.

JOHN 1:35-51

THE BACKGROUND

Note:  The lectionary for this Sunday is verses 43-51.  I have chosen to  cover the larger story, beginning with verse 35.

The Gospel of John starts out with a bang.  No sooner does John explain to us that Jesus was there at the beginning of creation, but he jumps right to Jesus baptism and the calling of His first disciples. 

THE DETAIL

• The day after Jesus’ baptism, John the Baptist points Jesus out to two of his followers.  They ask Jesus a question.  Jesus simply answers “come and see”, and they decide to follow Jesus.  One of these is Andrew, and the other is not named.  (vv. 35-40) 
• Andrew calls his brother Simon to tag along, saying that they have found the Messiah. Jesus renames Simon Peter “Rocky” (in my translation, since Peter means “rock”).  (vv.41-42)
• Jesus calls Philip simply by saying “follow me”.  (v. 43)
• Philip finds his friend Nathanael, and tells him who they’ve found. Nathanael says something a little snobby about Nazareth.  Maybe there was some small town rivalry here, but it is a curious comment.  But, Philip simply says “come and see” [“come and see for yourself” in my silly translation], and Nathanael follows. (vv. 45-46)
• Next, we have an interesting dialogue between Jesus and Nathanael.  Their first impressions of one another must have been huge. It is interesting that all of these disciples are from the same small town, Bethsaida.  They obviously knew each other.  Were they friends?
• In verses 50 & 51, Jesus says “If that impresses you, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.”  (Again, from my personal translation.)  Verse 51 is a subtle reference to a dream that Jacob had, as told in Genesis 28:10-12.

THE TAKEAWAY

I would like to give this passage the title “Jesus Calls His Disciples”, but that would not be accurate.  Andrew calls Simon Peter.  Philip calls Nathanael.  So disciples are also calling others to become disciples.  It is also very interesting to me that very few words were needed to compel these men to drop everything and follow Jesus.  Was Jesus that charismatic?  Was the Holy Spirit working in their hearts?

Today, Jesus calls us to follow him.  If you’re reading this, chances are that you have already chosen to do so.  If not, I encourage you to read one of the gospels, and learn more about Jesus.  (Mark is the shortest one, and a good place to start.)

Today, since we are Jesus’ disciples, we have the responsibility to carry on His work; we must call others to also hollow Him. Sometimes, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it only takes a few words.  Other times, a discussion might ensue.  Whatever the situation, ours is the task to urge those around us to follow Jesus.  We have the help of the Holy Spirit.  Let’s spread the Good News!

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD

GENESIS 1:1-5

THE BACKGROUND

I have said many times that when I read the Old Testament, I try to discover the God Lesson.  This is especially the case, when I read the creation accounts.  Yes, there are two of them, and they do not “line up”, as far as the sequence of events.  (The first is in Genesis 1:1-2:3.  The second is in Genesis 2:4-25.)  This really tells me to not focus on the scientific details, but rather to try to discover what God wants to tell me about Himself and my relationship with Him. 

THE DETAIL

Today’s reading is from the first creation account, and describes the first day.

• The first thing to notice is what God started with—what was there in the beginning? Verse 2 tells us that it was water. In the beginning, our world, was only water. 
• Verse 2 also tells us that “a wind from God” swept over the waters.  The Hebrew word that was translated “wind” here is “ruah”.  Ruah can mean “wind”, “spirit”, and “breath (of life)”.  Ruah is what God did to Adam in the Garden of Eden. 
• Now, in verse 3, God takes action.  Using only His Word, He creates light.  He makes day and night, and says it is good.  He’s done for the day!

THE TAKEAWAY

• Hebrews were land-dwellers.  Farmers. To them, a large body of water like the Mediterranean Sea was a horrific, chaotic place, full of sea-monsters. (The sea monsters were called Leviathan.)  So, according to this account, in the beginning, there was chaos. 
• God’s ruah was there on Day One of creation.  God’s spirit
• God cuts through the chaos, and calmly creates our world using only His word. Other ancient creation stories include gods fighting in wars.  There is blood and gore, and chaos abounds.  Our God, by contrast, calmly creates order from the chaos.  And it was good.
• The Gospel lesson for today is Jesus baptism.  It is fitting to have an Old Testament lesson that begins with water.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Last week’s Gospel lesson told us that Jesus was present at the beginning of creation.  Do you think there might be a connection between God creating light on the first day, and Jesus being the “light of the world”?  Also, since God’s ruah swept over the waters, this tells me that the Holy Trinity was there right from the beginning—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  What do you think?

ACTS 19:1-7

THE BACKGROUND

This is a great baptism story, written by Luke, but about Paul’s work.  Paul, Timothy, and Silas are on a missionary journey.  They are spreading the Good News, baptizing, and bringing people into life in The Way.  (The Way is what the early Christian church is called in the book of Acts.) 

A new disciple, named Apollos, appears in the verses just before our text.  He is a Jew from Alexandria, Egypt.  He has been a disciple of John the Baptist, and is a gifted evangelist. Paul’s team fills him in on the Good News of Jesus.  He is baptized in Jesus’ name, and sent on to Corinth to continue the work that Paul’s team had begun.

THE DETAILS

• With Apollos continuing God’s work in Greece, Paul and his disciples can focus on the church in Ephesus, which is in modern day Turkey.  They discover some disciples of The Way.  (vv. 1-2)
• Verse 3 says that they were baptized “into John’s baptism”.  In other words, they were followers of John the Baptist, and had not yet heard of Jesus.  Apollos’ story is similar to this one.  It’s worth reading, in Acts 18:24-28.
• Paul explains the difference between John and Jesus.  These disciples recognize that Jesus is the fulfillment of John’s preaching, and are baptized in His name.  (vv. 4-5)
• After their baptism and Paul’s laying his hands on them, they are filled with the Holy Spirit, and begin speaking in tongues and prophesying.  (vv. 6-7)

THE TAKEAWAY

• Speaking in tongues and prophesying were the results of baptism and laying on of hands.  This was the proof back then that the Holy Spirit dwelt in the hearts of the new believers.  Today in most churches, these gifts of the spirit no longer appear.  The Holy Spirit is most certainly present, but in a less dramatic way. 
• All Christians today are baptized, either at infancy or at the age of conscience. Whichever time it is done, and however it is done (immersion or sprinkling), the Holy Spirit enters the life of the baptized, and dwells within them. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

From this story, and from Apollos’ story just before it, we learn that John the Baptist also had a following, even after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  The word needed to get out to these people, that God’s word had been fulfilled.  How many people around us today are longing to hear this Good News?  Can we be like Paul, and share this good news with them?

MARK 1:4-11

THE BACKGROUND

The Gospel of Mark begins with the story of John the baptizer (or Baptist, if you prefer).  The verses preceding our passage quote the prophecy of Isaiah, which tells of “a voice crying in the wilderness” to prepare the way of the Lord.  John is a Nazarite—someone who was “set apart” from society, and had dedicated their life to serving God.  There are many Nazarites in the Old Testament, but John is one from birth.  This was exceptional.

THE DETAIL

• In the first paragraph, we see John going about the Lord’s work.  He urges people to confront their shortcomings before God, their sin.  He urges them to pledge to change, and to start over on a new and right path.  We call this whole process “repentance”.  It takes all of it to being repentant. (Just being sorry doesn’t count.)
• In verses 7 & 8, he makes it very clear where he stands.  He is just the one preparing the way.  Back then, untying someone’s sandals was the lowest task that a slave would be given to do.  John is telling everyone that compared to the one who was coming, he is the lowest of the lowly.
• The second paragraph tells us that Jesus comes to be baptized by John.  At his baptism, the Holy Spirit comes, and God the Father speaks.
•  

THE TAKEAWAY

• The Holy Spirit is present at Jesus’ baptism, just as it is present in baptisms today.
• Because of our sinful nature, none of us are worthy enough to untie Jesus’ sandals. Yet, through our baptism, we become the adopted children of God.  Jesus is our brother! 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Jesus lived his life without sinning.  Yet, he came to be baptized.  He did not need to repent; yet, he came to John, and entered the River Jordan.  Why?  I believe this was Jesus’ way of telling us that baptism, such as the one that John was doing in the Jordan, is a good thing. That repentance and baptism is part of living a life as a follower of Jesus.  It is a way of receiving the Holy Spirit—a means of grace.

JEREMIAH 31:7-14

THE BACKGROUND

The Old Testament lesson appointed for this day is again related to the time of the Babylonian exile.  One might begin to wonder how this is relevant to life in 2021. After studying this passage, I have come to realize that it is very relevant.  Let’s see if you agree.

When Babylon conquered Israel and Judah, they carted off many of the inhabitants as prisoners, captives, refugees.  The Jews were forced to settle in a foreign land, expected them to assimilate into society, and give up hope of ever returning home.  Others fled Israel, and were scattered across the entire region.  After 60 years in exile, there was a glimmer of hope.

THE DETAIL

• God tells the people to sing praises, because He is going to save them.  He has decided “to be a father to Israel”. (v.9) He is going to gather the scattered flock, and bring them home.  You’re going home!  Things are going to return to normal.  Ephraim and Jacob are nicknames that God uses for his people.  They remind them of their long history with Him.
• Verses 12 – 14 speak of the joy and celebration they will experience.  There will be singing, dancing, and rejoicing. Good times are on the way!  God comes to the rescue.

THE TAKEAWAY

This past year has been one for the books!  Who would have ever thought that we would be socially distancing for over 9 months?  We are not allowed to do most of the things we love to do.  We are very much like those people in exile so long ago. But there is a glimmer of hope!  God has allowed a vaccine to be developed in record time.  People are being vaccinated.  Soon, we will be able to hug and kiss our loved ones.  We’ll be able to travel, go to restaurants, concerts, and gatherings. Just like those returning from exile, there will be singing, dancing, and rejoicing.  In some ways, it will never be the same.  There will be sorrow, grief, and loss.  But it will be a time for rebuilding. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

What part do you believe God has played in this pandemic? He most certainly was with the suffering, both the afflicted and the affected families.  I’m sure He has been a source of strength for essential workers. Might he have had a hand in the extremely rapid development of the vaccine? 

EPHESIANS 1:3-14

THE BACKGROUND

These are the opening lines of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.  Immediately following the greeting, Paul’s letters often contain a condensed God-lesson for us.  This letter is no exception.  Three themes are intermixed in this passage.  We’ll discuss each separately.

PREDESTINATION

Verse 4 begins with the words “Just as he chose us…”, and verse 5 with “He destined us for adoption…” Verse 11 also states “…having been destined…”  All these verses make it sound like God up in heaven, “…before the foundation of the world…” chose some of us to be on the inside, and the rest to be the losers. This subject is called “predestination”, and divides many churches.  I believe that God predestined all of us to be his children.  But he also gave us a free will; many chose to turn away from him.  So, for me, the real choosing is ours to make; God wants us all.

ADOPTION

Verses 5 and 11 speak of adoption and inheritance.  This is a favorite theme of Paul’s.  He uses it to explain how we are God’s very children, adopted by him when we accepted Jesus as our savior.  Before this, we were living in sin and darkness.  Now that we walk in faith, God has adopted us.  We are heirs to the promise of life eternal in heaven with our brother Jesus.  No matter how difficult life here may become, we know that our true home, our true family is waiting for us in heaven.

REDEMPTION

Verses 7 & 14 speak of redemption.  This is a word I’d like to explore and explain.  When I shop at CVS drugstore, they always print me out a receipt.  Now, I keep my receipts.    My “accountant” (my wife) likes to see these, so I fold them neatly, and put them in my wallet.  But that CVS receipt is a monster—it is two or three feet long!  There is no way it is going into my wallet.  I don’t like these receipts, and can’t wait to throw them in the trash.  But wait! Somewhere below the transaction summary lurks a couple of coupons.  Sometimes, there’s even a “$5 off on your next purchase” coupon.  Now, this long ribbon of paper is still a worthless piece of trash, unless I do something.  If I take the coupon back to the store, and follow the details of the offer, it is now worth something.  If I redeem the coupon, it has value.  Because of our sinful nature, we are worthless trash, just like that CVS receipt. But Jesus’ death on the cross has redeemed us.  We are no longer worthless trash, but adopted children of God!

JOHN 1:1-18

THE BACKGROUND

These opening verses of the Gospel of John are rich, almost poetic.  They describe and define Jesus like none other.  John calls Jesus “the light” and “the word”.  He doesn’t use his actual name until verse 17; he only calls him the light and the word.

THE DETAIL

• In the first paragraph, John lets us know that Jesus (“the Word”) was with God right from the very beginning; from the beginning of the creation of our world in Genesis 1.  Jesus is just as responsible for the creation of our world as God the Father.  John begins this paragraph by calling Jesus “the Word”, but by the end of it he has already switched to calling Jesus “the light”. We’ll come back to verse 5 in the takeaway.  So, in Genesis 1:3, where God says “Let there be light”, Jesus was there when He separated light from darkness.
• The second paragraph takes an abrupt turn, as we are introduced to John the Baptist. Now, in the other three gospels, we have much more detail than we get from John.  John is very focused on telling us about Jesus’ story, so we only get the God Lesson story about John the Baptist.  John the Baptist was not “the light”, but came to testify to “the light”. John the gospel writer makes it clear that this is all about Jesus.
• The third paragraph explains that even though he created this world and everything in it, some of his creation rejected him.  Those who received him, however, became children of God. (There’s that adoption thing again.)
• The fourth paragraph wraps it up beautifully.  ”The Word became flesh…” tells me that Jesus left his heavenly home, became human for a time, and walked this earth just like you and me.  He walked in our shoes.  Verses 16 & 17 speak of God’s grace.  That word “grace” is one of those words that is used a lot, but rarely explained.  Finally, about 10 years ago, I got a great definition of it—grace is God’s love, freely given.  So, when you read verse 17, you see that in Old Testament times, the people of God had to earn God’s grace through obedience to the law of Moses.  But through Jesus Christ, God’s love-grace is poured out freely and abundantly to all.  Jesus came, and dwelt among us.  By studying Jesus teachings and life-example, we get a glimpse of God the Father. (v. 18)

THE TAKEAWAY

• All too often, we Christians are so focused on the Jesus the Savior that we do not give Jesus the Teacher the attention He deserves.  An important part of his earthly mission was to teach.  His words clarify our understanding of how God would like us to live our lives.  Many bibles draw attention to Jesus’ words, by printing them in red. His Word and teaching was also his purpose.  Revelation 1:16 presents an image of Jesus with a two-edged sword coming from his mouth. His words can cut like a knife, and they can also save.
• When my son was a teen, we did a wilderness trek together.  We were in the wilderness for 6 days, living out of a canoe and several backpacks.  One thing that impressed me during this experience was the darkness.  Once the sun went down, it was DARK!  At home, when evening came, I was used to flicking a light switch to get on with the rest of my day.  In the wilderness, I only had a candle lantern or a puny flashlight—the darkness took control our activities.  Now, when I read verse 5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”, I am keenly aware of the power that darkness can have over my life.  It helps me understand the power of light over darkness, and why we would call Jesus the Light of the World.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Sometimes, when someone gives us a new perspective on a situation, we might say “That shines a whole new light on the subject.”  When we say this, we mean that our understanding of the situation is now different.  How might our lives be different, if Jesus had not come to be the light of the world?

ISAIAH 9:2-7

THE BACKGROUND

Originally, this was intended to be a coronation song for a not fully-grown king.  It was a royal hymn of praise to him and hope for the future of God’s people.  This was written hundreds of years before the birth of our Savior. 

Early Christians were quick to recognize the prophetic nature of this passage, seeing how well it fit their understanding of Jesus, the Messiah.  The people of Isaiah’s day did not, of course, say “this is about Jesus”!  Is it possible that God provided Israel, through Isaiah, with a meaningful prophecy for that time, and at the same time provided Christians with a prophecy to point to the birth of our Savior?  Each will have their own answer to that question. For the purpose of this reflection, we will explore the traditional Christian understanding.

THE DETAIL

• Verse 2 speaks of a people who have walked in darkness, but now, with the birth of the Messiah, have seen a great light.  This, to me, refers to us Gentiles.  Most Christians today are not Hebrews, so we are Gentiles.  Before Jesus, God’s saving grace was reserved for the Jews.  With Jesus’ birth, we now become heirs of the kingdom.
• Verses 3-5 indicate a shift from war and plunder to a time of peace.  This is part of the future kingdom.  We have a taste of this peace, but the fullness of this peace is yet to come.  I’ll discuss this in detail in the Takeaway. 
• Verses 6 & 7 are the gem of this passage, and need no explanation.  I can hear Handel’s “Messiah” in my head as I write this.

THE TAKEAWAY

• When discussing the “kingdom of God” parables, theologians often use the word “eschatology”.  It’s a fancy word that means the partial completion of things—the “already, but not quite.” This was best explained to me by a pastor of mine.  We were having a bible study, and this word came up.  He pointed to a pregnant woman sitting at the table.  “Is Jenn’s baby here, or not?”  The baby, was, indeed “there, but not quite really “there”. That would happen in the months to come. The kingdom of God is like that baby. We have the kingdom here on earth now, but not fully.  We have the rich peace mentioned in verses 5 and 7a, but not fully.  When Jesus returns, we will experience the full kingdom. 
• I am so thankful that God has seen fit to come to earth and reveal himself to us Gentiles!  Thanks be to God for his steadfast love of all of us! 

TITUS 3:4-7

THE BACKGROUND

Titus was a trusted member of Paul’s inner circle of followers.  He is mentioned several times in Paul’s letters.  This letter was written to Titus, who had been put in charge of straightening out the church on the island of Crete.  This is a very short letter.  In my little bible, it takes up only two pages.  Today’s passage is part of the concluding paragraphs of the letter. The Revised Common Lectionary begins with verse 4.  I suggest beginning with verse 1, to get a full understanding of what Paul is saying.

THE DETAIL

• In verses 1-3, Paul tells Titus to remind the Cretan Christians to be obedient, kind, and gentle.  Then, he reminds Titus that we all are human and rebellious, before Jesus came and changed our lives.
• Verses 4-7 are the verses appointed for Christmas Day.  This is a beautiful passage, and I am surprised that I have not memorized it.  They are a beautiful summary of the saving grace of our Lord.  Let’s take a closer look: 
• God decided, out of loving kindness and goodness, to appear to us in the form of his Son.  (v. 4)
• He did this to save us. (v. 5a)
• He did this because of his own mercy, not because we deserved it.  (v. 5b) If you’re in doubt about this, please refer to verse 3—they’re talking about US!
• He saved us through our baptism and the rich blessings we receive continually from the Holy Spirit. (v. 5c)
• This Holy Spirit abundantly blesses us all of this through the gift of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this Christmas.  (v. 6)
• Verse 7 states that we have been “justified by his grace”.  This means that our sins are forgiven, by the free and abundant grace of our Lord, through the death of his Son on the cross.  We do not earn this by our own doing (see verse 5a), but by the abundant, loving grace of God. (v. 7a)
• Finally, because we have been justified, or forgiven of our sins, we may now become heirs to the hope of eternal life! (v.7b)

THE TAKEAWAY

At first, it seems a little odd to talk about all of this on the day of Jesus’ birth.  But on second glance, it is perfectly fitting and proper.  This is what this little baby came to do.  He came to wash away our sins, and make us heirs!
 

LUKE 2:1-20

THE BACKGROUND

Luke the Evangelist provides us with the beautiful account of Jesus’ birth.  I don’t need to expound on them in detail, you know these words well.  Instead, let me share a few reflections on the birth of our Savior.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

• Sometimes, we call the birth of Jesus the Incarnation.  What does that word mean?  In Latin, “carne” means flesh or meat.  It follows that the word “incarnation” means in the flesh.  For us believers, the word “incarnation” reminds us that God has decided to take on flesh, and dwell among us.  To teach us, love us, heal us, and die for us.
• The angel Gabriel told Mary to name the baby Jesus.  Well, sort of.  “Jesus” is the Greek version of the Hebrew name “Yeshua”(1), which means “the Lord saves”.  Even his name points to his divine purpose!
• Couldn’t Jesus have been born to a better family than a carpenter’s family? I’m thinking a priest of the house of Levi would be more appropriate.  Why a lowly carpenter?  Why was he born in a stable?  Shouldn’t he have been born in Jerusalem, and not the little town of Bethlehem?  Why did dirty shepherds(2) come to worship him, and not somebody more appropriate?  Why did the Magi bring gifts, and not the high-ranking clergy of the Jewish faith?  Everything God does has a reason or a purpose.  What might those reasons be in this case?
• Perhaps the answer to these questions lie in the teachings and life-example of Jesus.
  • He made God's priorities and values crystal clear in his sermons on the mount and plain.  God's values appear to be the opposite of most humans.
  • Jesus criticized the religious leaders of the day as well as the wealthy.  Instead, he socialized with the down-trodden and despised; with the unclean, sinners, and foreigners. 
• He came from heaven to effect change.  How has he changed you and me?

Footnotes

1. Names are different in different languages.  Take, for example, the name James.  That’s how we say it in English.  In French it is Jacques.  In German, it is Jacob.  Jesus is the Greek name for our Savior.  In Hebrew it is Yeshua.  In English, it is actually Joshua.  But we have stuck with calling him Jesus.

2. Shepherds were so dirty, that by Jewish law it would take them days of ritual cleansing to enter the temple.

ISAIAH 61:10-62:3

THE BACKGROUND

This part of the book of Isaiah was written about God’s people, who were returning home from exile.  God has saved them from what could have been the end of their culture. These are also very fitting words of praise to God who saves from a different fate.  He gives us the gift of his Son, who saves us and adopts us as heirs of the kingdom.

THE DETAIL

• Verse 10 starts right off with praise for God’s saving actions.  They are likened to clothing—garments of salvation. Party or wedding clothing!  You can feel the joy and celebration.
• Israel was experiencing a new beginning.  There was great hope, like the hope you have when planting a tree. That hope was that Israel would grow and be a shining example of God’s greatness.  Their vindication, or come-uppance, would show the world how great they and their God are.  After Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, the church spread rapidly to “all the nations” (v. 11)
• When I read the words of 62:1, I think of the pop tune by Cat Stevens. The song begins “I can’t keep it in, can’t keep it in.  I’ve gotta let it out!”  This is the Christmas joy we should all have, knowing the wonderful free gift that our Savior brings to us.

THE TAKEAWAY

With Jesus’ birth on Christmas, we get a wonderful gift. Immanuel—God lives with us.  He comes to heal, to teach, and to save. Let’s go tell it on the mountain!
 

GALATIANS 4:4-7

THE BACKGROUND

Sometimes, the apostle Paul is very wordy, and other times he is ultra-concise.  Here, in the span of three verses, we get a view of the beautiful, intimate relationship that we can have with our Lord.

THE DETAIL

• God had to wait until the right time before he sent his son.  At the time that Jesus came, Greek was the universal language, much like English is today.  This allowed free communication throughout the Roman Empire.  The relative peace that Roman occupation provided, along with the roads they built, helped people like Paul to quickly travel and spread the news.  This, to me, is what Paul meant by the “fullness of time”.  Then, and only then, did God put is saving action into place. He sent his Son, born of Mary, born a devout Jew (“under the law”), all with one purpose in mind—so that we could be redeemed, and be adopted as God’s very children. (vv. 4-5)
• Because we are his beloved children, he sends the Holy Spirit to help us call him our Father.  The word “Abba” is the Hebrew (Aramaic, actually) word for Father, but in the familiar form.  It is what a child would call their father—“Dada” or “Daddy”!  It does sound like something a baby would say, doesn’t it?  The point here is that we don’t just get to call God “Father”, but we get to use the intimate, loving term of Daddy. We are members of His family.  (v. 6)
• Verse 7 might seem a little odd, since Paul is talking about slavery.  At that time, about a third of the population was slaves.  It was commonplace, and not considered morally wrong.  Paul often uses it as an illustrative example, to show our prior relationship with God.  In his letter to the Romans, he says that in our former lives, we were slaves to sin. Now, as believers in Jesus, we are children of God.  In Roman times, when a Roman citizen died, the children were his heirs, and the slaves got nothing.   Paul uses this to show us that now that we are the adopted children of God, we inherit eternal life.  I know it doesn’t say all that here, you’ll find it in Romans and some of Paul’s other writings.  We studied those passages a few months ago.

THE TAKEAWAY

Before Jesus left his throne, and came to walk with us, we were merely Gentiles in the darkness.  Now, we are God’s very children, able to call him “Daddy”!

LUKE 2:22-40

THE BACKGROUND

I am amazed that the amount of travelling that Joseph and Mary undertook.  It would be one thing if they had a nice little motorhome.  Instead, they did it all on foot.  Old paintings show Mary riding on a donkey, but none is mentioned in the Bible.  They travelled on foot from their home village of Nazareth, to go to Bethlehem.  I looked it up.  It is an 84 mile journey.  Can you imagine walking that distance?  It’s like walking from Tryon to Charlotte!  That had to take at least three or four days, maybe more with a wife ready to deliver a baby. 

Now, they are off to Jerusalem!  The Jewish law requires that Jesus be circumcised eight days after his birth.  Since they were in the neighborhood, they did this in Jerusalem—it was on the way back from Bethlehem, only 8 miles up the road.  After that, they still had 78 miles to go, before they were back home in Nazareth.  Later, they would make the long journey to Egypt, but we’ll save that for another day.

THE DETAIL

• So, in obedience to Leviticus 12:1-8, they bring the baby Jesus to the temple. (vv. 22-23)
• They bring the prescribed offering of four birds.   This tells us that Mary and Joseph are poor.  They do not bring the regular offering prescribed in Leviticus 12:6, but the provisional one in verse 8, for those who cannot afford a lamb.
• Here’s where the story gets fascinating.  An old man approaches, and takes Jesus in his arms!  He says those words that many of us know as the Song of Simeon (or the Nunc Dimittus).  (vv. 25-32)
• You can imagine how the parents felt!  The bible tells us they were “amazed”.  They were probably feeling a lot of other emotions, as well.  Then, Simeon turns to Mary and makes a prophetic proclamation.  We believe the “sword piercing Mary’s soul” might have something to do with watching her son suffer and die on the cross.  (vv. 33-35)
• If that wasn’t enough, an elderly prophetess approaches them as well.  She praises Jesus, and talks about the redemption of Jerusalem. (vv.36-38)
• After an exciting day in the temple, they return to Nazareth, where Jesus will grow “strong, filled with wisdom…”  (vv. 39-40)

THE TAKEAWAY

Simeon waited most of his life for the chance to see the Messiah.  Now that he has seen and held this precious child, he is at peace.  In his song, Simeon essentially says “Lord, I’ve seen him! You can take me now.”  We have “seen” Jesus through the stories given us in the Gospels.  We can be at peace, knowing that our eyes have seen God’s salvation.