“Don’t worry” … How is that possible?

Morning: Psalm 89:1-18; 2 Kings 17:24-41; I Corinthians 7:25-31

Evening: Psalm 89:19-52; Matthew 6:25-34

It may not be reassuring to quote out of context these words of Jesus: <<Do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?”>>  If climate change continues on present trajectories, food production, clean water and our economic life will all be seriously threatened.  But Jesus’s words have more to do with those whose anxiety drives the current climate crisis. Their quest for security is the kind of worry Jesus was talking about.  What if Jesus is really saying: “Don’t worry to the extent that you accumulate more than you really need”?

How do you know when you meet an angel?

Morning: Psalms 8, 148; Job 38:1-7; Hebrews 1:1-14

Evening: Psalms 34, 150; Mark 13:21-27

These days, multiple voices vie for our allegiance.  Angels, however, speak the truth.  Jesus advises: “If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better.”  How do you know when you meet an angel?  In my experience, angels are normal people whose words, though simple, seem to carry a message from beyond … you just trust them.

A heart for Earth’s well-being

Morning: Psalms 87, 90; 2 Kings 11:1-20a; I Corinthians 7:10-24

Evening: Psalm 136; Matthew 6:19-24

This week, I worried that teenage Climate activist Greta Thünberg risked showing unforgiving bitterness towards those who will not change.  She is, without question, inspiring.  A compassionate heart will help her succeed in her quest for Earth’s well-being.  About that, Greta’s heart and the hearts of young people everywhere are undivided … they want the wealthy nations to give up the relentless pursuit of economic growth and prosperity and to work to restore the Earth.  Jesus said you cannot serve two masters – the pursuit of wealth must give way to the priorities of the Creator and of the Creation.

Forgiveness withheld when we don’t forgive

Morning: Psalm 88; 2 Kings 9:17-37; I Corinthians 7:1-9

Evening: Psalms 91, 92; Matthew 6:7-15

The Lord’s Prayer says, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”  Is there a whiff of condition in there?  The version of Jesus’s Prayer in Matthew says, literally, God won’t forgive you if you don’t also forgive others.  By that, our forgiveness is clearly conditional.  Christians have struggled with this one.  They have expected forgiveness no matter what.  But if you persist in breaking people’s trust deliberately, how can you be forgiven for that until you make amends and build bridges?  Forgiveness is not cheap; it is a costly grace that cannot be one-sided.

Give, pray, fast … but quietly

Morning: Psalms 116, 117; 2 Kings 9:1-16; I Corinthians 6:12-20

Evening: Psalms 85, 86; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Giving returns something of all that we have received as pure gift.  Prayer owns that we need help from beyond ourselves while we are on this earthly pilgrimage and, also, we believe help is available.  Fasting accepts our limits and the limits of the earth and aims to live gently here.  Give, pray and fast without fanfare, says Jesus, or you risk becoming a hypocrite who does these things for show yet remains unchanged by them.

Love your enemies!? Are you kidding!?

Morning: Psalm 119:97-120; 2 Kings 6:1-23; I Corinthians 5:9-6:8

Evening: Psalm 81, 82; Matthew 5:38-48

Why hasn’t the Good News gotten through?  It’s been a long time.  Well, it’s not easy news … Peter, Paul and Mary sang it’s about ‘Love between brothers and sisters.’  I was dismayed yesterday to hear current teen hero, Greta Thünberg, voicing angry, unforgiving words that I hope are not her own … After refusing to believe UN members are evil, and surmising that they are just ignorant, Greta still excoriated them: “If you choose to fail us … we will never forgive you!”  ‘Never’ is an even longer time!  Have we consigned our children, too, to bitterness and enmity?

Broken promises are hard, so … what next?

Morning: Psalm 78:1-39; 2 Kings 5:19-27; I Corinthians 5:1-8

Evening: Psalm 78:40-72; Matthew 5:27-37

Some of us make promises we cannot keep, or we can but don’t, or someone else doesn’t keep theirs to us.  So, it’s hard if you’re divorced when Jesus speaks about adultery and divorce.  When you’ve suffered from a broken promise – your own or someone else’s – you don’t need to be castigated for it.  Given that, is it still worth making promises?  Some think not.  However, a broken promise may make your next promise more realistic and stronger.  I think Jesus is saying: “Don’t give up on promises. Keep (making) promises.  But do not swear.  ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ is enough.”

Forget about giving … first be reconciled

Morning: Psalm 80; 2 Kings 5:1-19; I Corinthians 4:8-21

Evening: Psalm 77: Matthew 5:21-26

What is life’s first priority?  Is it generosity?  … or helping prople in need?  Jesus is clear … If you have a gift to offer, even a gift to God, but you are angry with any ‘brother’ or ‘sister’, your first priority is to be reconciled with them.  Astonishingly, even if they are the ones who have something against you, it is still your first priority to seek reconciliation with them.  Why?  Perhaps bitterness with anyone so damages our spirits that we will have nothing to give to others until we are at peace with all?  First be reconciled.

The wheat and chaff in us all

Morning: Psalms 93, 96; 2 Kings 4:8-37; Acts 9:10-31

Evening: Psalm 34; Luke 3:7-18

A casing protects wheat until it is ripe; then that casing dries up and is blown away as chaff.  Luke’s Jesus gathers the wheat and burns the chaff with ‘unquenchable fire’.  This sounds bad, but only if you think the wheat is the good folks and the chaff is the unworthy folks.  That is a horrendous thought.  NO!  Surely the ‘wheat’ is spiritual maturity and the ‘chaff’ are the missteps through which we all mature.  The chaff does its job, then we no longer need it.  But it will take a big ‘fire’ to burn it all!

Heaven is harmony not obedience

Morning: Psalm 119:41-64; Isaiah 8:11-20; Romans 10:1-15

Evening: Psalms 23, 27; Matthew 5:17-20

When, at 18, I left England for America, one of my uncles said to me, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”  Pretty broad latitude, I thought!!  But righteousness is not about doing good; it is about being ourselves, because who we are is already very good.  Jesus teaches: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Heaven is not a place where everyone is well-behaved (how boring would that be!?), but a state of being in harmony with God’s ways … a much higher state than obedience.

Salt for the earth, Light for the world

Morning: Psalm 69:1-38; 2 Kings 1:2-17; I Corinthians 3:16-23

Evening: Psalm 73; Matthew 5:11-16

Christian communities can be insipid or dull.  It happens if they forget who or what they are for.  When Christians think of themselves individualistically and not as community, churches lose their flavour and spark.  Jesus addressed the crowds on the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world.” We are not solitary grains, but many; one grain of salt depends for its taste on many other grains.  One light lights another until, together, they shine!  ‘Salt of the earth’ people value others.  ‘Bright lights’ cooperate to illuminate the path for others.

Blessed to be a blessing

Morning: Psalm 71; I Kings 22:29-45; I Corinthians 2:14-3:15

Evening: Psalm 74; Matthew 5:1-10

One elderly person I know is so full of thankfulness for life, even though she struggles with many things, that she is an inspiration to me and everyone she meets … When you live this way, you bless the world and you experience blessing, but not as a reward for good deeds.  You feel blessed when you regard life with gratitude.  And as your gratitude overflows, others are inspired to appreciate their lives too. Being blessed and being a blessing are opposite sides of the same coin.

Who or what is calling out to you?

Morning: Psalm 72; I Kings 22:1-28; I Corinthians 2:1-13

Evening: Psalm 119:73-96; Matthew 4:18-25

Yesterday, Emma Lin, an 18 year old university student in Ottawa launched a climate action initiative called “No Future, No Children.”  She is calling out to older generations, saying: “We will have no children (and you no grandchildren) until climate change is addressed … We will not bring children into a world that is not serious about ensuring children’s future well-being.”  Jesus called others to come help ‘fish for people’; literally, bring people up from the depths of darkness into the daylight.  Aren’t Emma and Jesus calling for the same thing?  Who or what is calling out to you?

Where are you looking for happiness?

Morning: Psalms 61, 62; I Kings 21:17-29; I Corinthians 1:20-31

Evening: Psalm 68:1-38; Matthew 4:12-17

Matthew, along with a few others, quotes Isaiah’s famous phrase: “The people who sat / walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Jesus calls for profound change … like night and day.  He uses the same word his cousin John the Baptist used, Repent!  This radical transformation, if you respond to Jesus’ call, it changes the direction in which you look for happiness.  You may not be finding satisfaction and fulfilment where you are looking now.  So change direction, Jesus says, turn around.  People say, “I turned my life around”; that’s what it means to repent.

Tempted by Wealth, Fame and Power

Morning: Psalm 56, 57; I Kings 21:1-16; I Corinthians 1:1-19

Evening: Psalms 64, 65; Matthew 4:1-11

The temptations Jesus endured in the wilderness are familiar to all human beings.  It is tantalizing to imagine you could possess anything you wanted, or enjoy high regard in the eyes of all, or have power to control the outcome of events.  Jesus could have had it all, but he knew this was only an illusion, a mirage in the wilderness, a poor substitute for what really matters humanly speaking.  Wealth, fame and power are empty facsimiles of the true riches, inner satisfaction and contentment that come with living a full, self-aware, and balanced life.

(un)intended consequences

Morning: Psalms 24, 29; I Kings 19:8-21; Acts 5:34-42

Evening: Psalms 8, 84; John 11:45-57

Sometimes people are too clever for their own good.  Caiaphas, the high priest, thought that if Jesus were to “die for the people” it would prevent his influence from growing.  Caiaphas plotted, intending that Jesus would be forgotten, even if he died “for the people”.  Of course, something else happened, and Jesus’ influence has continued to grow, down to our own day.  Why? Because an aspect of his story makes his death more a boon than a barrier.  Only if he died could he rise to new life.  The high priest had not counted on that!

How does suffering make things right?

Morning: Psalm 66; Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:11-17

Evening: Psalm 118; Genesis 3:1-15; I Peter 3:17-22

This is called ‘Holy Cross Day’.  But the Cross was an un-holy way to die. Some say Jesus had to suffer and die to save us, as if God exacted this horrible price in a kind of commercial transaction.  But that feels messed up somehow.  Isn’t it that Jesus chose to accept the Cross instead of war, or deceit, or cowardice?  His choice changes everything.  Choosing not to fight injustice with injustice, Jesus changes the way we regard and treat those who fall short of goodness, ourselves included.  Jesus makes holy the Cross, this unholy instrument of punishment and death.

Making Peace … entrusted with reconciliation

Morning: Psalms 40, 54; I Kings 18:20-40; Philippians 3:1-16;

Evening: Psalms 46, 87; I Kings 8:22-30; Ephesians 2:11-22

St. Paul teaches that the Way of Jesus is the way of reconciliation … breaking down the walls and hostility that divide us … Making Peace.  Peace is costly, though.  Jesus must absorb the hostility of those who crucify him and thereby defeat hatred.  Hatred has its roots in the fear of those who are different from us.  Jesus’ strong Love overcomes fear and overwhelms hostility.  When you follow on the Way of Jesus you, too, are entrusted with the work of reconciliation in the world; you accept that this work is now yours.

On protecting children

Morning: Psalm 50; I Kings 18:1-19; Philippians 2:12-30

Evening: Psalms 93, 96; Matthew 2:13-23

Physical dangers are part of life; they make us leap to protect children: the perils of storms, sharp edges, social unrest, war, and traffic.  More ominous are the dangers from those who seek to harm children ...  Jesus’s parents took him away when they became aware of the threat of King Herod.  Most dangerous of all, though, are the world’s violent ways and values, which harm the souls of children and propagate violence in them.  Maybe guarding children against learning violence is, paradoxically, the most important protection we can offer the children and the world?

The value of every single life

Morning: Psalm 119:49-72; I Kings 17:1-24; Philippians 2:1-11

Evening: Psalm 49; Matthew 2:1-12

Remember where you were 18 years ago this morning.  The staggering events, the immediate concern for loved ones … In an instant, we remembered the immense value of every single life.  We called and let one another know.  Remember?  The response to the birth of Jesus is, at its heart, a story of how fragile and how precious we are.  Eighteen years on, if we remembered and acted on just that awareness, and let people know how awesome and precious they are, the world would swell with love today. Now that would be a fitting act of remembrance.

As light pierces darkness, life snuffs out death

Morning: Psalm 45; I Kings 16:23-34; Philippians 1:12-30

Evening: Psalm 47, 48; Mark 16:1-20

Against the odds, soon after Jesus’s crucifixion and burial, despite their initial fright and flight, the 11 disciples are found telling the very Good News that Life is victorious over death’s power, that Jesus is alive, that they have seen him.  Common human custom is to trust reliable witnesses.  The early Christian community did.  Were they all deluded?  Didn’t many of them go on to die themselves for this faith?  Was it based solely on an illusion?  No, history has trusted their testimony.  Surely in them too, contrary to all expectations, Life snuffed out the power of death. Thanks be!

Steadfast companions

Morning: Psalms 41, 52; I Kings 13:1-10; Philippians 1:1-11

Evening: Psalm 44; Mark 15:40-47

Who are the important people along your life’s way?  For me, it is those who are quietly there no matter what.  They neither cheer me nor scold me but are simply reliable companions – sharing bread, listening, enjoying coffee together and a chat about nothing and everything.  In the stories of Jesus, the 12 disciples are front and centre, but they are not with him in his death.  They disappear.  Jesus’s quiet, loyal and steadfast companions – the women who have been with him all along, and Joseph … They are the ones who attend to his burial.

Why are we offended by who others are?

Morning: Psalm 63:1-8; 98; I Kings 12:21-33; Acts 4:18-31

Evening: Psalm 103; John 10:31-42

In some places in Canada, it is illegal to wear outward signs of faith at work.  But why teach children to be offended by, or afraid of faith?  Is it wrong to invite me to understand you?  If you do not impose, but simply live your faith, how is that offensive?  Some called Jesus’ belief ‘blasphemy’ and wanted to stone him.  It’s not stoning or killing, but surely it is life-denying for both of us if I do not allow you to be yourself. Will Love (which is an outward sign of faith) be illegal soon?
 

A place not of separation but of encounter

Morning: Psalms 30, 32; I Kings 12:1-20; James 5:7-12, 19-20

Evening: Psalms 42, 43; Mark 15:33-39

Mark writes that, as Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  This curtain had symbolized the barrier that separated the people from what was understood to be the unapproachable holiness of God.  But the life of Jesus showed that the only barrier between the divine and the human is the one we construct.  The Creator is not untouchable or unreachable at all, never was, but dwells here, as near as breathing, within the ‘temple’ of our humanity.  This new temple is a place not of separation but of encounter.

Will we trust this Servant Leader?

Morning: Psalm 31; I Kings 11:26-43; James 4:13-5:6

Evening: Psalm 35; Mark 15:22-32

Will they only trust Jesus if he will betray himself by saving himself?  Will only an expression of self-interest from Jesus convince them that he is authentic?  It’s hard for us, in our culture (and apparently back then too), not to wonder, “What’s in it for me?” or “What’s in it for him?”  We do not easily trust selfless actions, like, “There must be some catch, right?”  Again, Jesus’ radically different way of being a leader – that is, a Servant Leader – catches us off-guard.  Will we trust One who is willing to die for the sake of our well-being?

The innocent dies, the guilty goes free

Morning: Psalm 37:1-18; I Kings 11:1-13; James 3:13-4:12

Evening: Psalm 37:19-42; Mark 15:12-21

Not only is Jesus silent; he is also innocent.  He is crucified; a murderer goes free.  Jesus’ cross is a political not a religious symbol.  Today’s electric chair comes close to symbolizing the true horror of the cross in Jesus’ day.  And Jesus is crucified for political not religious reasons – Pilate thought he wanted to be king.  In the process, though, Jesus demonstrates his whole reason for being … The innocent dies, the guilty goes free.  What makes us whole is Love doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves: there but for the grace of God …

The transformative power of silence

Morning: Psalm 38; I Kings 9:24-10:13; James 3:1-12

Evening: Psalm 119:25-48; Mark 15:1-11

In Jesus’ final hours, how silent he is!  Pilate asks, “Are you the King?” He responds simply, “You say so.”  To accusations brought by religious leaders, Jesus says nothing.  John’s Gospel calls Jesus “the Word”, so his silence is striking.  Perhaps Jesus’ silence speaks powerfully about who he is … that he embodies the Word, and is the Living Word whose actions tell their own story?  He goes to suffering and death without argument or protest.  Perhaps his silence is somehow the strongest antidote there is for the poisonous human brokenness that leads us to crucify those we disagree with?

Fear is overcome when you have a purpose

Morning: Psalms 26, 28; I Kings 8:65-9:9; James 2:14-26

Evening: Psalms 36, 39; Mark 14:66-72

Why does Peter lie and deny Jesus.  Is he afraid of suffering the same fate?  Who would not be afraid?  But fear is overcome when you believe in what you’re doing.   Peter soon finds his purpose in the Way of Jesus.  He becomes a founder of the Jesus movement and his confession is the cornerstone of the young church.  Eventually, Peter will even be crucified himself because he believes so strongly in what Jesus is all about and he tells everyone.   Because you are afraid does not mean that your fear is insurmountable once you see what it’s all for.

There are some things you cannot undo

Morning: Psalm 25; 2 Chronicles 6:32-7:7; James 2:1-13

Evening: Psalm 9, 15; Mark 14:53-65

Once you decide about someone’s character, it’s hard to change your mind.  With Jesus … They made up their minds to accuse him of inciting unrest, or speaking blasphemy, making himself equal to God.  Then they invented stories to ‘prove’ themselves right.  Laying judgements on others is an ancient human habit.  People do it to protect themselves, often out of fear.  Those in power seemed to fear the call to justice that Jesus represented, so if they could discredit him, or kill him, they would feel safer.  But what Jesus had already accomplished could not be undone.

The mystery and wonder of God’s name: “I Am”

Morning: Psalms 148, 149, 150; I Kings 8:22-40; I Timothy 4:7b-16

Evening: Psalms 114, 115; John 8:47-59

Names are powerful … When you know someone’s name and call it out, they stop and turn around.  Author Fred Buechner says that since God told Moses, “I AM who I AM”, God hasn’t had a moment’s peace!  To those who questioned the validity of Jesus’ words, he said: “Before Abraham was, I AM”.  This caused an uproar, because every devout Jew knew he was claiming God’s name.  Many have come to believe, though, that Jesus is indeed the human face of God … Perhaps Jesus hasn’t had a moment’s peace since then, either!  Instead, he offers Peace to us.