I see … or maybe not

Morning: Psalm 31; Job 19:1-7, 14-27; Acts 13:13-25

Evening: Psalm 35; John 9:18-41

Often I think I understand something only to realize later that I don’t.  I’ve done it countless times.  What about you?  For me, it’s like this: I convince myself pretty effectively that I understand something.  But then, a light goes on and I realize I was wrong, in spite of feeling confident at first … Saying you see when you don’t is the flip side of saying you were paying attention when you weren’t.  Covering up your mistakes because you’re ashamed of them won’t heal you.

Want to see a New Creation? Look to Jesus

Morning: Psalm 37:1-18; Job 16:16-22; Job 17:1 13-16; Acts 13:1-12

Evening: Psalm 37:19-42; John 9:1-17

Ingrained in our culture is an old idea that goes something like this: Good things are rewards for good deeds, and bad things are punishments for misdeeds. Jesus debunks that. A man was born blind not because anyone did anything wrong … It’s that the Creation is still in process.  In reality, this is a chaotic world. God is bringing order and light, a New Creation, out of that chaos … Those once blind may now see.  John’s Gospel insists that if we ourselves want to ‘see’ this New Creation, built by God’s grace, we must look to Jesus.

What does Jesus mean? … keep reading …

Morning: Psalm 38; Job 12:1; 14:1-22; Acts 12:18-25

Evening: Psalm 119:25-48; John 8:47-59

Jesus is blunt and challenging with those who seek to incriminate him. He uses key words that show he closely identifies with God: “I AM”.  They want to stone him, saying he is demon-possessed … John would not have made this up to make him seem more authentic.  Jesus actually did and said astounding, shocking things.  But the Gospel writer does not explain; he simply carries on with the story … implying that he believes Jesus’s story speaks for itself … so: “If you want to understand what it all means, read the rest of the story!”

Discerning what is true takes time and effort

Morning: Psalm 26, 28; Job 12:1; 13:3-17, 21-27; Acts 12:1-17

Evening: Psalms 36, 39; John 8:31-47

So many contradictory news flashes!  How do you separate truth from lies?  They can’t all be true.  Many just trust the best-known liar!  Jesus, the best-known human being ever, said his disciples will discover truth that will set them free.  So what will you make of Jesus, who invites you to be his disciple and to trust him?  Will you? You have to decide. Give his story your careful attention; it may free you in ways you never thought possible.  It’s old and reliable, but cannot be told in 100 words or absorbed in a cursory glance.  Give it time.

How bad does it have to get before we listen?

Morning: Psalm 25; Job 12:1-6, 13-25; Acts 11:19-30

Evening: Psalms 9, 15; John 8:21-30

‘Cry wolf’ and people won’t listen in a real emergency.  But sometimes people don’t listen anyway.  Jesus warns … If we don’t follow God’s way, things will turn out badly. But it’s hard, even for him, to get people’s attention.  Today, a young girl is protesting outside the Swedish parliament for action about climate change.  It’s urgent, she insists … but they want her to go and study math!  For her, climate change is more urgent than school. She wonders … When will people understand the urgency of our predicament?  God knows, getting people’s attention isn’t easy!

‘Heaven’ cannot wait

Morning: Psalms 148, 149, 150; Job 11: 1-9, 13-20; Revelation 5:1-14

Evening: Psalms 114, 115; Matthew 5:1-12

Why do people think the Bible is a book of instructions?  No!! Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is Good News that a new day is dawning, where the destitute will have all they need; mourners will be comforted; the world will belong to the gentle; those who hunger for justice will ‘feast’; the merciful will receive mercy; the pure in heart will see God; the peacemakers will be called the children of God; those who suffer for what is right will be satisfied.  Jesus is saying: Why wait?  You can live in the reality called ‘Heaven’ here and now.

Let light shine … in you

Morning: Psalm 20, 21:1-7; Job 9:1; 10:1-5, 16-22; Acts 11:1-18

Evening: Psalms 110:1-7, 116, 117; John 8:12-20

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”  “Make of yourself a light,” said the dying Buddha.  Aretha Franklin, buried yesterday, was called “a beacon of humanity.” John McCain, whose funeral is today, said America should be a "beacon of liberty”.  Many believe light overcomes the darkness of evil.  This evil should not be confused with the ‘dark night of the soul’, an often-painful time of soulful self-encounter where many people confront evil and come more fully into their lives.  Light shines most beautifully through the best of our humanity, especially in those who have faced down the darkness.