1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body,a but have not love, I gain nothing.
Thoughts: Hebrew writing and scripture often has a dual meaning- often making use of verbal irony (saying kind of the opposite of what you mean to make a point). So in our passage love is more than speaking (tongues or even flattery). Yet love certainly involves speaking- saying "I love you" is not all there is to love, but it is an important part of love.
So also is faith/speaking forth the truth (prophecy). Love involves belief and trust. We must believe in someone to truly love them. If we truly believe in someone, we begin to love them.
Love also means giving (all I possess to the poor, surrendering my body in martyrdom). Love without sacrifice is cheap. But love is not simply sacrifice. So the person who works all the time for their family but never spends time in love- may think they are loving them but they are falling short. Yet, if you love someone- you may lay your life down for them. Jesus said this- "Greater love has no one than this- that they lay down their lives for their friends."
Prayer: Lord, let me see love is not just speaking, belief or giving- yet it involves all three. Help me to understand love better, and understanding, give me grace to practice love more sincerely.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Hope in Membership
"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- Jews or Greeks, slaves of free-- and all were made to drink of the one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but many....if the foot should say to the, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. (1 Corinthians 12:12-15)
Thoughts: In our non-committal age we doubt everyone, every group, every authority, every truth, thinking that it is better and safer for us to be the arbiter of reality. But it is actually safer and healthier for us to be able trust those we love and love us and commit to them. To be unable to trust makes us doubt not only everyone else- but ourselves. To love someone freely would mean to trust them without hesitation- it means to fall back on them knowing they will catch you. Many of our divisions are caused by human pride, human divisiveness, and an inability to trust.
Paul calls us to remember the power of belonging. We are members of one body. We are not isolated parts- but put together in God's providence to do something for Him. Because we are different does not mean we are divided or not in fact members of the true body of Christ. Calvin talked about the invisible church and the visible one. The visible one is made of those who say they are believers and take part. The invisible church are the ones who are truly a part of the body of Christ. They do not believe for show, or to avoid consequences, or to network for business only. To be sure, no one has absolutely pure motives when they join the church, nor do they fully know what they are getting into and what lies ahead.
There was a time when the church kicked people out quickly in an effort to keep the body of Christ pure, undefiled and with a good reputation among outsiders. Today, we have a hard time letting anyone go who does not come or take part. We do not want to offend them needlessly, and there is always hope that they will come back. We are, after all saved by grace. If we say we are not a member (as our passage says) that does not mean we indeed cease to be a member. Only God can truly remove or place someone in the real Book of Life. On the other hand we can abuse our membership and shame our body by not only not functioning together with the other parts, but even becoming spiritually gangrenous. If we try to cut ourselves off from the other parts of the body by not attending, not praying, not giving, not caring, then it pulls the whole body down. The balance in membership is to encourage those who are missing to come back (James 5:19,20).
Prayer: Lord, help me to respect my membership and remember my baptism in you. Keep me from being offended, and help me to humbly come back when I am pulled away from your people- the church. Let me be renewed in my faith and find hope in my commitment to you and your people.
Thoughts: In our non-committal age we doubt everyone, every group, every authority, every truth, thinking that it is better and safer for us to be the arbiter of reality. But it is actually safer and healthier for us to be able trust those we love and love us and commit to them. To be unable to trust makes us doubt not only everyone else- but ourselves. To love someone freely would mean to trust them without hesitation- it means to fall back on them knowing they will catch you. Many of our divisions are caused by human pride, human divisiveness, and an inability to trust.
Paul calls us to remember the power of belonging. We are members of one body. We are not isolated parts- but put together in God's providence to do something for Him. Because we are different does not mean we are divided or not in fact members of the true body of Christ. Calvin talked about the invisible church and the visible one. The visible one is made of those who say they are believers and take part. The invisible church are the ones who are truly a part of the body of Christ. They do not believe for show, or to avoid consequences, or to network for business only. To be sure, no one has absolutely pure motives when they join the church, nor do they fully know what they are getting into and what lies ahead.
There was a time when the church kicked people out quickly in an effort to keep the body of Christ pure, undefiled and with a good reputation among outsiders. Today, we have a hard time letting anyone go who does not come or take part. We do not want to offend them needlessly, and there is always hope that they will come back. We are, after all saved by grace. If we say we are not a member (as our passage says) that does not mean we indeed cease to be a member. Only God can truly remove or place someone in the real Book of Life. On the other hand we can abuse our membership and shame our body by not only not functioning together with the other parts, but even becoming spiritually gangrenous. If we try to cut ourselves off from the other parts of the body by not attending, not praying, not giving, not caring, then it pulls the whole body down. The balance in membership is to encourage those who are missing to come back (James 5:19,20).
Prayer: Lord, help me to respect my membership and remember my baptism in you. Keep me from being offended, and help me to humbly come back when I am pulled away from your people- the church. Let me be renewed in my faith and find hope in my commitment to you and your people.
Monday, May 27, 2019
Memorial Day tribute
"Greater love has no one than this- that they lay down their life for their friends." (John 15:13)
Douglas MacArthur told West Point cadets, May 1962: “The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training-sacrifice. In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those Divine attributes which his Maker gave when He created man in His own image … No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place of Divine help which alone can sustain him."
On Memorial Day we remember those who gave their lives for their country. The Church especially appreciates the freedoms we have here: freedom to worship, freedom of speech, and freedom to assemble. There is rarely a nation like ours where we have such freedoms without government encroachment. Such freedoms are to be guarded and preserved. In many ways our nation's founding was forged in the religious persecution of the old world. So the Pilgrim's came to Plymouth Rock from England where they were seen as traitors for not conforming to the state church of England. As such, Pilgrims were subject to imprisonment and torture. They left in 1620. When they had survived plague, winter and starvation they gave thanks to their Native American helpers (like Squanto) who taught them to grow crops and fish. The Puritans also left England in the 1630s to escape religious persecution and form their own churches freely in the new land. French Huguenots came to New York and South Carolina. Some settled Port Royal (South Carolina) in 1562, the first Protestant fort in North America. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island had freedom of religion as a huge part of their founding (under the influence of Rogers and Penn). Even Maryland began as a place of religious relief for Roman Catholics. Lord Baltimore, the catholic lord, sought to found the colony as a place of refuge for Catholics where they could practice their faith. Many Scotch Irish Presbyterians were looking for a place where they could practice their faith. Baptists and Quakers would add to their number. While we were not founded as a Christian nation, Christian elements influenced our founding. The Mayflower Compact was a forerunner to our Constitution. Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon was both the only clergyman and only college president to sign the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. In our day of secularism, we downplay this part of history or think it is important. We miss and downplay the powerful motivation of religion and serving an eternal cause.
The freedom they conceived was not freedom from religion, but freedom to worship as you choose. We dishonor their persecution and trials by choosing not to worship at all. Worship gives meaning to freedom, and freedom gives the ability to worship.
So today we remember those who sacrificed their freedom of life to give us freedom- not to do as we please, but to live honorably, valuing truth, hope, purpose, and freedom. We are also grateful for the tremendous sacrifices of their families they left behind. They follow in the footsteps of the One, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for a higher cause. He is the one who said, "Greater love has no one than this- than to lay down their lives for their friends."
On Memorial Day we remember those who gave their lives for their country. The Church especially appreciates the freedoms we have here: freedom to worship, freedom of speech, and freedom to assemble. There is rarely a nation like ours where we have such freedoms without government encroachment. Such freedoms are to be guarded and preserved. In many ways our nation's founding was forged in the religious persecution of the old world. So the Pilgrim's came to Plymouth Rock from England where they were seen as traitors for not conforming to the state church of England. As such, Pilgrims were subject to imprisonment and torture. They left in 1620. When they had survived plague, winter and starvation they gave thanks to their Native American helpers (like Squanto) who taught them to grow crops and fish. The Puritans also left England in the 1630s to escape religious persecution and form their own churches freely in the new land. French Huguenots came to New York and South Carolina. Some settled Port Royal (South Carolina) in 1562, the first Protestant fort in North America. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island had freedom of religion as a huge part of their founding (under the influence of Rogers and Penn). Even Maryland began as a place of religious relief for Roman Catholics. Lord Baltimore, the catholic lord, sought to found the colony as a place of refuge for Catholics where they could practice their faith. Many Scotch Irish Presbyterians were looking for a place where they could practice their faith. Baptists and Quakers would add to their number. While we were not founded as a Christian nation, Christian elements influenced our founding. The Mayflower Compact was a forerunner to our Constitution. Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon was both the only clergyman and only college president to sign the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. In our day of secularism, we downplay this part of history or think it is important. We miss and downplay the powerful motivation of religion and serving an eternal cause.
The freedom they conceived was not freedom from religion, but freedom to worship as you choose. We dishonor their persecution and trials by choosing not to worship at all. Worship gives meaning to freedom, and freedom gives the ability to worship.
So today we remember those who sacrificed their freedom of life to give us freedom- not to do as we please, but to live honorably, valuing truth, hope, purpose, and freedom. We are also grateful for the tremendous sacrifices of their families they left behind. They follow in the footsteps of the One, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for a higher cause. He is the one who said, "Greater love has no one than this- than to lay down their lives for their friends."
Lord, thank you for the freedom we enjoy here. Thank you for those who sacrificed to preserve our freedom. May we use our freedom wisely- in ways that please you, our Maker.
Monday, May 20, 2019
Debt Cancelled!
Forgive us. our debts... as we forgive our debtors
Thoughts: This weekend billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith gave 400 graduates of Morehouse College Georgia a surprise. He gave 400 students the gift of a free education- paying off their student loans. It is estimated that the payment is $14 million. He asked only that it be paid forward. Such generosity is to be recognized and hopefully it inspires us to emulate this.
Perhaps we also need to recognize the debt that Jesus Christ has cancelled for us. It is more than the greatest billionaire could cancel for us. He paid with it out of love with His infinitely valuable life. God came down for us to erase our guilt, our debt owed to Him.
Jesus teaches us to pray "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." It is as if each sin we commit adds to our debt-load that we owe to God. It is impossible to pay back. But God came to pay it back Himself. Then He asks that we pay it forward- "as we forgive our debtors."
Prayer: Lord, forgive us our debts- and give us grace to pay it forward by forgiving our debtors.
Thoughts: This weekend billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith gave 400 graduates of Morehouse College Georgia a surprise. He gave 400 students the gift of a free education- paying off their student loans. It is estimated that the payment is $14 million. He asked only that it be paid forward. Such generosity is to be recognized and hopefully it inspires us to emulate this.
Perhaps we also need to recognize the debt that Jesus Christ has cancelled for us. It is more than the greatest billionaire could cancel for us. He paid with it out of love with His infinitely valuable life. God came down for us to erase our guilt, our debt owed to Him.
Jesus teaches us to pray "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." It is as if each sin we commit adds to our debt-load that we owe to God. It is impossible to pay back. But God came to pay it back Himself. Then He asks that we pay it forward- "as we forgive our debtors."
Prayer: Lord, forgive us our debts- and give us grace to pay it forward by forgiving our debtors.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Love the Lord
36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”
37Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’d 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’e 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22)
Thoughts: Today is Armed Services Day. People in the armed services are some of the most patriotic Americans that there are. why is this? In some ways they are taught that in military families and in their training. But those who serve are willing to give their lives for their country. When you love your country, you are willing to give for it.
We are called by Jesus to love the Lord our God. Not just a little- with our lips. Jesus hated those who faked their love for God- or only loved God for show. Christians believe that we would not be alive it were not for God. He made us and sustains us and even redeems us for eternity. Christians also believe that this life is not all there is- so we can give up stuff here knowing that we have eternal life. A soldier must be all in. A Christian needs to be all in for our King as well.
If Christians do not love God- but only kind of believe Him, the faith will die inside them and in their world. But the world changes when Christians love the Lord.
We are called by Jesus to love the Lord our God. Not just a little- with our lips. Jesus hated those who faked their love for God- or only loved God for show. Christians believe that we would not be alive it were not for God. He made us and sustains us and even redeems us for eternity. Christians also believe that this life is not all there is- so we can give up stuff here knowing that we have eternal life. A soldier must be all in. A Christian needs to be all in for our King as well.
If Christians do not love God- but only kind of believe Him, the faith will die inside them and in their world. But the world changes when Christians love the Lord.
Prayer: Let your love draw love from me. Let me love you with all I am.
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Caring for Relatives
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8)
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (1 John 4:20)
Thoughts: In our day when many sluff off responsibility, the scriptures remind us the importance of family. In our day, we like to think that women and men can equally fend for themselves- and we blatantly ignore that it takes time, money, and energy to raise children. We are called in these passages to think about the needs of our relatives and look for a way to help them. It is easy to isolate our thinking and our help from those who are in need- even if they are our own relatives and kin. I have heard many give flimsy reasons for not giving child support. A guy may want a new truck or a new kitchen while their child is going without the basics. As my grandmother used to say, "If you are responsible for bringing them into this world, you are responsible for taking care of them." Who else should be responsible? When there are so many divorces, parents need to consider caring for their biological and step children, and adult children should care for their biological parents and step parents. God places us with our neighbors and places us in our families (Psalm 68:6).
Families teach us about God's sacrificial love. You cannot keep the family together and not give something up for others. Sibling rivalry can also destroy a family. One sibling wants the stuff or the attention and let the other one go without. Scriptures teach us to be content with whatever our lot may be. Jesus had nothing, yet He teaches us by example to be content and have peace and faith in God.
But these passages also remind us- as Mother's Day comes up that we are to care for our mothers and mothers are to care for their children. We know we are called to "love our neighbor." The follow up question, "Who then is my neighbor" was answered by the parable of the Good Samaritan. The stranger who was a Jew did not deserve the Samaritan's care- but they encountered each other. It seems Jesus was saying the neighbor is the person God puts into our path. Family members are put in our path more than any other. Our neighbor is first of all our family. If we cannot love our family- then we cannot love our neighbor. I John says it even clearer, "How can you say you love God whom you have not seen... when you cannot love your brother or sister whom you have seen."
Of course this involves wisdom and being a good steward, but we are called to love our neighbor "as our self." That means we are called to do to our neighbor as we would have them do to us. We want to love our neighbor but hold something back. But that is not how Jesus loved us. He was all in- and gave Himself totally with nothing held back on the cross for us.
So give yourself more than you might like for your family. Make yourself reach out a bit more, care a bit more, be a little less jaded and more forgiving. You will find there- in the giving- the peace and blessing of God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to have the kind of grace you have to me. Help me to love my family even if they are not deserving of my love. Give me grace to be less selfish and more caring.
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (1 John 4:20)
Thoughts: In our day when many sluff off responsibility, the scriptures remind us the importance of family. In our day, we like to think that women and men can equally fend for themselves- and we blatantly ignore that it takes time, money, and energy to raise children. We are called in these passages to think about the needs of our relatives and look for a way to help them. It is easy to isolate our thinking and our help from those who are in need- even if they are our own relatives and kin. I have heard many give flimsy reasons for not giving child support. A guy may want a new truck or a new kitchen while their child is going without the basics. As my grandmother used to say, "If you are responsible for bringing them into this world, you are responsible for taking care of them." Who else should be responsible? When there are so many divorces, parents need to consider caring for their biological and step children, and adult children should care for their biological parents and step parents. God places us with our neighbors and places us in our families (Psalm 68:6).
Families teach us about God's sacrificial love. You cannot keep the family together and not give something up for others. Sibling rivalry can also destroy a family. One sibling wants the stuff or the attention and let the other one go without. Scriptures teach us to be content with whatever our lot may be. Jesus had nothing, yet He teaches us by example to be content and have peace and faith in God.
But these passages also remind us- as Mother's Day comes up that we are to care for our mothers and mothers are to care for their children. We know we are called to "love our neighbor." The follow up question, "Who then is my neighbor" was answered by the parable of the Good Samaritan. The stranger who was a Jew did not deserve the Samaritan's care- but they encountered each other. It seems Jesus was saying the neighbor is the person God puts into our path. Family members are put in our path more than any other. Our neighbor is first of all our family. If we cannot love our family- then we cannot love our neighbor. I John says it even clearer, "How can you say you love God whom you have not seen... when you cannot love your brother or sister whom you have seen."
Of course this involves wisdom and being a good steward, but we are called to love our neighbor "as our self." That means we are called to do to our neighbor as we would have them do to us. We want to love our neighbor but hold something back. But that is not how Jesus loved us. He was all in- and gave Himself totally with nothing held back on the cross for us.
So give yourself more than you might like for your family. Make yourself reach out a bit more, care a bit more, be a little less jaded and more forgiving. You will find there- in the giving- the peace and blessing of God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to have the kind of grace you have to me. Help me to love my family even if they are not deserving of my love. Give me grace to be less selfish and more caring.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Good Friday
17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”b
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
22Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
Thoughts: We call this Friday good because it is good for us. While the pain and passion was terrible for Jesus- Paul emphasizes here the great power of the cross. The cross is so powerful and yet it makes no worldly sense. It is more powerful than any miracle. ItTh is of greater help than any human wisdom. There were two ways that the cross seemed foolish to people who do not believe (the perishing in vs. 18).
The Jews were looking for a sign or a miracle from God to give them relief and blessing. They were looking for a Messiah to come rescue them from their oppressors (especially the Romans)- like a Moses who took them away from the Egyptians. But instead they found Jesus who became the suffering servant and the Passover Lamb. The miracle of the cross is that the infinite God came down to be a sacrifice for finite human beings. The miracle is of His love and His compassion for us.
The Greeks were looking for someone who could lead them with worldly wisdom. For them rhetoric and making things sound good and fit together was the key to life. Jesus did not seek worldly wisdom. He went to Jerusalem knowing he would die. A wise man would have avoided the pain and taught for many more years to write more books and gain more followers. Jesus, however, faced his death- willing to die a young man with only three years of ministry. But if he had not gone to the cross, he would have been another forgotten philosopher or rabbi. He allowed the claim to kingship as he entered Jerusalem on the Passover. He did not retreat from confrontation but embraced it. But as our passage reminds us- God's worst wisdom (foolishness) is better than our best wisdom.
The cross is the greatest miracle and the greatest wisdom. It is only through Christ's sacrifice that our sins can be forgiven and we can go to heaven. Because it affects everyone- it is the wisest thing that God could do to reach and save the world.
The Jews were looking for a sign or a miracle from God to give them relief and blessing. They were looking for a Messiah to come rescue them from their oppressors (especially the Romans)- like a Moses who took them away from the Egyptians. But instead they found Jesus who became the suffering servant and the Passover Lamb. The miracle of the cross is that the infinite God came down to be a sacrifice for finite human beings. The miracle is of His love and His compassion for us.
The Greeks were looking for someone who could lead them with worldly wisdom. For them rhetoric and making things sound good and fit together was the key to life. Jesus did not seek worldly wisdom. He went to Jerusalem knowing he would die. A wise man would have avoided the pain and taught for many more years to write more books and gain more followers. Jesus, however, faced his death- willing to die a young man with only three years of ministry. But if he had not gone to the cross, he would have been another forgotten philosopher or rabbi. He allowed the claim to kingship as he entered Jerusalem on the Passover. He did not retreat from confrontation but embraced it. But as our passage reminds us- God's worst wisdom (foolishness) is better than our best wisdom.
The cross is the greatest miracle and the greatest wisdom. It is only through Christ's sacrifice that our sins can be forgiven and we can go to heaven. Because it affects everyone- it is the wisest thing that God could do to reach and save the world.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your great wisdom and the miracle of the cross.
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