March 22

Gospel for March 22, 2020

Note from Celeste:

Before we look at today’s lectionary reading, I’d like to draw your attention to my Holy Week Bible Study book.

Go and Find a Donkey is the latest installment of the Choose This Day Multiple Choice Bible Studies series.

The daily devotionals take 10-15 minutes and include:

Scripture passage (World English Bible)
Fun, entertaining multiple choice questions focused directly on the Scripture passage
Short meditation that can be used as a discussion starter.

Use them on the suggested dates, or skip around. Designed to be used during Holy Week, this nine-day Bible study takes you from Palm Sunday through Easter Monday.

Use this book personally during a coffee break or with the family in the car or at the breakfast table.

Order Go and Find a Donkey today to prepare your family for this year’s Easter season!
CLICK HERE for Amazon’s Kindle book of Go and Find a Donkey.
CLICK HERE for Amazon’s Paperback of Go and Find a Donkey.

AND NOW, BACK TO TODAY’S LECTIONARY READING:

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 9:1-41
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus is presented with a serious question about suffering and the problem of evil when his disciples ask him why a man was born blind.

This passage takes the dialectical method of Jesus — the “point/counterpoint” dialogue — to a new level. There is the dialogue between Jesus and the disciples; between Jesus and the blind man; the blind man interacts with the crowd and the Pharisees; the Pharisees interrogate the blind man’s parents; and the Pharisees confront Jesus. The effect that this dialogue creates is almost like theater — except that it is real.

The first and most important question is posed by the disciples about the blind man:

Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus, as always, surprises. He assesses no blame — the blindness is not because of guilt. This repudiates the familiar notion at the time that suffering was always the consequence of sin. However, Jesus does proclaim that even suffering may be a means of glorifying God:

that the works of God might be revealed in him.

Jesus reminds the disciples of his purpose for coming into the world — to overcome the effects of darkness:

I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

This is a reminder of the pressures of time that Jesus is experiencing. He brings light, but the darkness of betrayal and the cross is coming. So there is a sense of urgency to his ministry. He has no time to waste. For now, he offers his light while he can.

Jesus makes a paste of mud with saliva and anoints the man’s eyes. A seemingly very mundane recipe — but one offered by the Lord of Life himself. He then instructs the blind man to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, along the southern wall in the older section where King David’s citadel had been located.

John the evangelist adds the interpretation of the meaning of Siloam, which is one of several pools of water in the city used as reservoirs. Siloam means Sent. This is appropriate for one sent by Jesus to receive healing.

The description of the healing itself almost seems mundane — the blind man washes away the mud — but the reaction of the people around him is more dramatic.

First, his neighbors, who knew he was blind from birth, were astonished and looked for alternate explanations:

He looks like him.

The blind man confirms his own identity, and explains the procedure Jesus used to give him sight. Immediately the neighbors ask for Jesus; and when the formerly blind man can’t produce Jesus, they drag the man before the Pharisees.

Now, to quote the cliche, the plot thickens. The Pharisees have already proven their hostility to Jesus, and even attempted to have him arrested in John 7:32. So this new development adds to the tension.

The legal problem presented here is that this was a Sabbath day when Jesus did this healing “work.” The Pharisees’ strict interpretation of the law forbade any semblance of work on the Sabbath. Jesus is elsewhere critical of their legalism. Although he observed the Sabbath by attending synagogue services, the practical needs of preparing food and works of mercy superseded the legalistic demands of the law. He says in the Gospel of Mark:

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.(Mark 2:27-28).

The ex-blind man must again repeat the entire account of his healing for the Pharisees, some of whom immediately declare:

This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.

Now we begin to see that that the Pharisees are not always unified in lock-step with one another.

Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them.

We will see this division develop later when Nicodemus, also a Pharisee, argues that Jesus should have the right to defend himself in the face of charges (John 7:50-51).

What ensues is an intense interrogation that turns into a debate between the Pharisees and the ex-blind man. The Pharisees ask the blind man what he thinks of Jesus. The blind man has no doubt about this much:

He is a prophet.

The Pharisees attempt another tactic. They try to undermine the credibility of the miracle by casting doubt on the man’s blindness. They summon his parents — almost a kind of subpoena! — and question whether the man was really born blind.

The parents are terrified — they state what they know, that he was born blind, but they deflect the questions back to their son:

He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.

The parents aren’t afraid of physical harm, but spiritual harm. The Jewish leadership had decreed that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, would be excommunicated. The life of a Jew was centered in the religious community and the life of the temple and the synagogue. To be put out of the synagogue would be to become a social and religious pariah.

So the Pharisees continue their interrogation of the ex-blind man again. They demand that if he acknowledges God, he must testify that Jesus is a sinner.

What follows is dialogue worthy of the theater. To appreciate the verbal repartee, I recommend that it be read aloud from verses 25-34.

The ex-blind man is honest, and very blunt. When told to confess that Jesus is a sinner, he knows what he doesn’t know, but also what he does know:

I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.

The Pharisees won’t let up. When they ask again how it happened, the ex-blind man almost seems a little impertinent:

He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”

The ex-blind man almost seems to be taunting them. Certainly he is astute enough to realize that most of the Pharisees are implacable enemies of Jesus. Naturally, they are offended, and they begin to lose their composure:

They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”

They accuse the ex-blind man of already being Jesus’s disciple, and proudly proclaim their own allegiance to Moses. This is a false dichotomy — Jesus isn’t opposed to the law of Moses, but to the accretions and traditions that the Pharisees have added to the law of Moses.

The ex-blind man increases his taunts:

The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.”

Now, he turns the tables. He begins to testify to what God has done in his own life through Jesus:

We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.

The ex-blind man quotes Scripture to confirm the fact that Jesus must not be a sinner, therefore this healing is from God. He cites Psalms 66:18:

If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened.

And also:

Yahweh is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29).

After invoking the authority of Scripture, the ex-blind man then cites human history — suggesting that this is an unprecedented event:

Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.

He adds these two factors together — the claims of Scripture that God doesn’t hear the wicked, and the fact that he has been healed by Jesus — and he comes up with what seems undeniable as the sum — Jesus must be from God:

If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.

The Pharisees are outraged:

“You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.

When they threw him out, what that suggests is that he is excommunicated from the synagogue. He has gained his eyesight, and lost his community.

But not for long. Jesus learns that the man he has healed has been thrown out of the synagogue, and seeks him out. Again, there is another dialogue. Jesus asks him:

Do you believe in the Son of God?

This is a leading question. In a sense the ex-blind man has already affirmed that Jesus must be from God, otherwise he couldn’t do the works that he has done. The ex-blind man’s answer seems innocent:

Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?

This suggests that the ex-blind man is definitely leaning toward faith. All that is required is for Jesus to provide substance. And so he does:

You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.

Once again, Jesus has revealed himself to an unlikely person — not the famous or the powerful or the pious or the wise. Instead, he reveals himself to a poor blind man.

The response of the ex-blind man is appropriate:

“Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.

He trusts in Jesus; but even more he worships him. This provides the substance. It is only appropriate to worship God. The Son of God is the only begotten Son of God, the Word made flesh, God incarnate.

There is yet one more short dialogue in this passage. Jesus makes a declarative statement about his purpose and mission:

I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.

This reminds us of the definition of judgment from John 3:

He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. (John 3:18-19).

Once again, the Pharisees are offended when they hear this:

Are we also blind?

The answer of Jesus is worthy of the dialectics of Socrates, or the enigma of a Zen koan:

If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

This is the paradox — that the Pharisees claim to see, and yet they fail to recognize that the Son of God, the Christ, the Lord of Life, is in their midst. How tragic. To think that they are the enlightened ones, and yet they walk in darkness.

APPLY:

The motif of spiritual darkness and light returns again in the Gospel of John, and finds a literal application in the blindness of the man healed by Jesus. This is a powerful spiritual application for us. The darkness of the soul is far greater than the darkness of physical blindness. And the darkness of religious Pharisees, who presume superiority to others, may be the deepest darkness of all.

There is an old saying that is still relevant today:

There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know.

Those who have the faith to see Jesus, as does the blind man, have true vision; whereas those whose religion has been reduced to mere rules and rituals, without relationship with God, are in darkness.

RESPOND:

This is a fascinating encounter recorded in dialogue worthy of Shakespeare, or of the dialectical method of Plato’s dialogues. We find ourselves swept along in the drama of this blind man who discovers the Light with his new vision; while those who “see” are blind to the Light that shines in their midst.

There is another aspect of this account that fascinates me, though. It is almost a mere footnote to the story. The disciples see this blind man as the account begins, and they ask Jesus:

Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

They begin with an assumption — that if there is a congenital physical defect, it must be the result of sin. This principle could be expanded to nearly any physical malaise. This seems a classic example of “blaming the victim.”

This is also the principle behind the Eastern concept of karma — that people must continue to pay for their sins in successive lives through cycles of suffering until they have been purified.

Jesus repudiates this notion. The problem of suffering cannot be reduced to the consequences of sin, and cannot be expiated by karma.

The roots of suffering are complex — but we cannot simplistically blame the sufferer for their own suffering. In the end, Jesus transforms suffering into good:

that the works of God might be revealed….

Lord, you have come to bring Light and Sight to those who have the eyes of faith to see you. Open my eyes to see you. And enable me to work the works that you send me to accomplish as well, while it is day. Amen.

PHOTO:
“The most deluded people” uses this photo:
“Blindfold chess exhibition game” by Poek is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for March 22, 2020

Note from Celeste:

Before we look at today’s lectionary reading, I’d like to draw your attention to my Holy Week Bible Study book.

Go and Find a Donkey is the latest installment of the Choose This Day Multiple Choice Bible Studies series.

The daily devotionals take 10-15 minutes and include:

Scripture passage (World English Bible)
Fun, entertaining multiple choice questions focused directly on the Scripture passage
Short meditation that can be used as a discussion starter.

Use them on the suggested dates, or skip around. Designed to be used during Holy Week, this nine-day Bible study takes you from Palm Sunday through Easter Monday.

Use this book personally during a coffee break or with the family in the car or at the breakfast table.

AND NOW, BACK TO TODAY’S LECTIONARY READING:

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 5:8-14
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians are a reminder to those who have received a “wake up call” from God. They had been in the dark sleep of sin. Now they are to:

Walk as children of light.

This is an apt metaphor, contrasting the darkness of sin with the light of God’s goodness and righteousness.

Earlier in this passage, Paul has defined some of the darkness to which his readers had been susceptible:

sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness…. filthiness…. foolish talking…. jesting, which are not appropriate…(Ephesians 5:3,4).

And he makes a clear statement of warning:

Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God (Ephesians 5:5).

But now, in this passage, we get a picture of the fruit of the Spirit, not unlike the more detailed fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Here in Ephesians, Paul says:

for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is well pleasing to the Lord.

These three qualities (goodness, righteousness, truth) are near the pinnacle of the highest good (summum bonum) of the ethical life of the Christian. The use of the word proving used by Paul may carry metaphorical weight. The Greek word dokimazo is a term used to describe the testing of metals to determine their purity. The goodness, righteousness and truth produced by the Spirit certainly pass that test!

Paul returns to the metaphorical contrast of darkness and light. He urges his readers to:

Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of.

Not only are they to avoid the deeds of darkness, they are to reprove them and not even speak of those things. There is a distinction between those who do these things and the deeds that are done. Paul is not advising the Ephesians to reprove the doers, but reprove their deeds. That may seem like a fine distinction until we remember that even his readers were once guilty of these deeds of darkness.

We are reminded of his words to the Corinthian church:

Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom. Such were [emphasis mine] some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Note the “before and after” effect. That was then; this is now, because they are now children of light.

This may be a classic case of “hate the sin, love the sinner.” And we might add a phrase: “hate the sin because of what it does to the sinner.”

Paul asserts that when these things are reproved, they are brought to the surface:

But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.

Finally Paul exhorts his readers:

Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Based on the grammar of this passage, Paul is quoting God himself as the speaker. God himself is exhorting the people. Although there is no exact quote with these words from the Old Testament, there is some opinion that these words convey the same sense as the words of Isaiah 26:19 or Isaiah 60:1-3. Still others suggest that this was a verse from a Christian hymn that may have been sung in the early church. Or it may have been that Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was speaking these words on behalf of God.

The point is clear — those who were dead in the darkness of sin are urged to awaken to new life and bask in the light of Christ. This is nothing less than a spiritual resurrection.

APPLY:

There is clearly a “before and after” in the Christian life. Back in the days of the Jesus Movement and the Jesus Freaks in the early 1970’s, a Christian might describe their lives as “B.C.” and “A.C.” — Before Christ and After Christ.

Paul skillfully uses the metaphor of darkness/death contrasted to light/life. The person who once lived in darkness has “awakened” to the light of Christ. The deeds of darkness are overcome by the light.

The light is a powerful symbol for us of the spiritual life. Jesus, the incarnate Word, has come into the world to bring the light:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it (John 1:5).

Like Paul, the Apostle John urges Christians to walk in the light:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

To walk with Christ is to walk in his light, and to walk in the paths of his truth, love and holiness.

RESPOND:

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said:

Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.

This is consistent with Paul’s contention:

But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.

I can remember visiting the parsonage of an unmarried pastor with my wife many years ago. He walked ahead of us into the kitchen, and turned on the light. He said, “Wait just a minute before you come in.” We stood with him in the doorway, and we immediately saw why he was warning us.

The counters, the kitchen table, and the floor, were covered with thousands of tiny cockroaches that scurried away from the light, back into the dark nooks and crannies of the kitchen! My wife found it very difficult to enter the parsonage at all, let alone sit on the furniture!

I think of that incident when I think of the effect that the light of Christ has on sin. Sin is sent scurrying away when the light of Christ comes near.

Perhaps another word about reproof is called for. Paul tells us to reprove the deeds of darkness. In our era of tolerance and pluralism, we may find it very difficult to follow these instructions. We are taught to “mind our own business;” to “live and let live.” Sometimes the only Scripture that people quote is when they are justifying their own sinful behavior — “Judge not, lest ye be judged!”

What a difficult dilemma. Is a Christian to reprove those who are doing wrong? Obviously, we are not in a position to judge anyone. That is God’s prerogative alone.

However, we are able to assess the damage that sin does to people whom we love. That becomes the fundamental question — do we love someone enough to warn them that the behavior in which they are engaged is spiritually, morally, and even existentially lethal?

We may all know the familiar cliche, Love the sinner, but hate the sin. I have learned to add a phrase — because of what the sin does to the sinner.

Lord, I know the darkness in which I once walked, and I thank you for the light into which you have awakened me. Empower me to walk in the light, and also to show others that same light. Amen.

PHOTOS:

"Ephesians 5:11" by WestonStudioLLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for March 22, 2020

Note from Celeste:

Before we look at today’s lectionary reading, I’d like to draw your attention to my Holy Week Bible Study book.

Go and Find a Donkey is the latest installment of the Choose This Day Multiple Choice Bible Studies series.

The daily devotionals take 10-15 minutes and include:

Scripture passage (World English Bible)
Fun, entertaining multiple choice questions focused directly on the Scripture passage
Short meditation that can be used as a discussion starter.

Use them on the suggested dates, or skip around. Designed to be used during Holy Week, this nine-day Bible study takes you from Palm Sunday through Easter Monday.

Use this book personally during a coffee break or with the family in the car or at the breakfast table.

AND NOW, BACK TO TODAY’S LECTIONARY READING:

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 23
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Before David was a king, he was a shepherd. This Psalm is a shepherd’s song. We can imagine David the shepherd, gazing out over his grazing flock as the sun is setting, with a deep sense of serenity. The parallels between a shepherd’s watchful care of his flock and the Lord’s care for his people are obvious.

But for our purposes, we find a Psalm that begins as a kind of lyrical hymn that develops the metaphor of God as Shepherd. The Shepherd guides his flock along paths of righteousness to peaceful, safe, green pasture, and to still waters. This is an important detail. Sheep tend to be shy of drinking from swift brooks. Placid pools or ponds are more inviting to them.

This metaphor of water prevails when David says his relationship with Yahweh is like drinking the still waters:

He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

Then in verses 4 & 5 the Psalm becomes a prayer to God. The third person becomes second person — no longer “He” but “You.” This more intimate voice occurs as the Psalmist describes God’s presence with him in the valley of the shadow of death, and also as he describes God’s protection and provision in the very presence of his enemies:

Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.

The rod and staff are used to discipline and guide the sheep, but also to protect them from predators.

Obviously there is the comfort of provision, protection, and God’s presence in this Psalm. But we also notice that he speaks of his head being anointed with oil. Anointing with oil was used for healing and for cleansing in the ancient world, but in a Biblical context it was used to signify a holy office, such as a prophet, a priest or a king. In our Old Testament lectionary reading for this week, David was anointed as king by Samuel (Click here to read the SOAR blog on 1 Samuel 16:1-13).

David sums up his supreme confidence in Yahweh that will endure in this life and forever:

Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.

APPLY:

Our most familiar acquaintance with Psalm 23 occurs at funerals. The reasons are self-evident — language that describes a comforting Shepherd who guides us through the valley of the shadow of death where we fear no evil, and then finally assures us that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever is indeed reassuring in the face of death.

But we do well to notice that the Psalm also offers promises for this life:

goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life

God’s provision, guidance, and protection are not postponed until death. We need the Good Shepherd now and at the hour of our death.

RESPOND:

This is a Psalm that I can recite by heart, but it is also frequently my prayer — that the Lord will be my Shepherd, provide for my needs, restore my soul, protect me in the midst of danger, and be with me to the end of my life, and beyond.

Lord, I trust in You as the sheep trust their shepherd. Amen.

PHOTOS:

"Lectionary reflection for this week based on Psalm 23" by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for March 22, 2020

Note from Celeste:

Before we look at today’s lectionary reading, I’d like to draw your attention to my Holy Week Bible Study book.

Go and Find a Donkey is the latest installment of the Choose This Day Multiple Choice Bible Studies series.

The daily devotionals take 10-15 minutes and include:

Scripture passage (World English Bible)
Fun, entertaining multiple choice questions focused directly on the Scripture passage
Short meditation that can be used as a discussion starter.

Use them on the suggested dates, or skip around. Designed to be used during Holy Week, this nine-day Bible study takes you from Palm Sunday through Easter Monday.

Use this book personally during a coffee break or with the family in the car or at the breakfast table.

AND NOW, BACK TO TODAY’S LECTIONARY READING:

“For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 World English Bible)

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Samuel 16:1-13
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Selecting a leader is a momentous decision under any circumstances. Selecting a new king while there is still a king reigning on the throne can be perilous.

That is the mission with which Samuel is charged by Yahweh. This is a moment fraught with danger for Samuel and for the one who is chosen to be king. This is a potentially explosive political action that Samuel is asked to do.

Just a little backstory is required — after the conquest of Canaan by Israel around 1200 B.C., the tribes of Israel had been a loose confederation without a central authority. There may have been a council of the elders of the tribes that met from time to time, but it wasn’t vested with much authority over the whole nation.

From time to time, leaders arose who came to be known as judges. The role of judge was not an official title or position. The judge was a dynamic, charismatic leader whose authority was obviously bestowed by God. Usually they provided leadership in times of war, but they were also consulted in cases requiring some sort of arbitration. There had been eleven men and one woman who judged Israel in the Biblical book of Judges. In 1 Samuel, Eli the high priest of Yahweh at Shiloh was also said to have judged Israel for 40 years before his strange death (1 Samuel 4:18). Samuel, who had been mentored by Eli from his childhood, soon was recognized as the new judge over Israel. When he was old, Samuel also made two of his own sons judges in Beersheba, but they proved less than worthy. Samuel was the last of the judges over Israel.

It was around 1030 B.C. when Israel began to clamor for a king, in part because of the corruption of Samuel’s sons. Samuel himself had a unique and close relationship with Yahweh, but evidently his sons didn’t. The result of the first search for a king was Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin. Samuel himself anointed Saul as king. Although Yahweh had chosen Saul to be king, Saul lost his way as he grew older. He disobeyed Samuel’s instructions and offered sacrifices that he wasn’t authorized to do. And he also apparently lapsed into paranoia. It was time for a change.

Samuel regretted Saul’s poor decisions, and evidently had feelings of affection for his wayward king:

Yahweh said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel?”

Yahweh tells Samuel to fill his horn with oil for anointing a new king, and to go to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse. Jesse is of the tribe of Judah.

Samuel is justifiably afraid. He knows that the paranoid Saul will kill Samuel if he finds out what’s going on. So Yahweh provides a kind of ruse. He is to take a heifer with him to sacrifice at Jesse’s home — the pretext is simply that he has come to worship.

We note that when Samuel arrives, the elders of Bethlehem greet him warily:

The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”

Although Saul is king, Samuel is still very powerful. Even King Saul is intimidated by this holy man, who wields the authority of Yahweh himself. Samuel assures them he has come in peace.

What ensues is almost like a kind of “beauty pageant.” Samuel invites Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice, and he begins to assess the “talent.” He is impressed with Eliab, the first son that he sees. Samuel says:

Surely Yahweh’s anointed is before him.

Yahweh advises Samuel to look below the surface:

But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”

Yahweh’s appraisal of candidates for leadership isn’t based on superficialities but on character.

Jesse parades seven of his sons past Samuel, but Yahweh doesn’t give Samuel approval for any of them. Samuel may be growing frustrated:

Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your children here?”

There is just one more, the youngest boy who is a shepherd out in the fields. We don’t know if this son was left out of the line-up because he was lowly regarded, or simply because he was busy keeping the sheep. Samuel refuses to let anyone sit and eat until this boy has been brought out as well.

As it happens, this boy is also a good-looking kid, although this presumably isn’t the reason he’s chosen:

Now he was ruddy, with a handsome face and good appearance. Yahweh said, “Arise! Anoint him, for this is he.”

The son of Jesse chosen to be anointed is David, the youngest of the brothers. The anointing itself is a powerful spiritual moment. We are reminded that anointing with oil was a ritual that was used to initiate priests and prophets, as well as kings. But it is also a powerful symbol of the presence of God’s Spirit:

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward.

Although Samuel leaves and returns to his home in Ramah, nothing is going to happen with David’s kingship for some time. Saul remains firmly on the throne of Israel. He may not even be aware of what has happened in Bethlehem. At least not yet.

There will be many events that must occur in David’s life before he takes his place as king of Israel. And David will prove himself loyal and submissive to Saul even to the end of Saul’s life, when Saul is killed in battle by the Philistines. This may be indicative of the character that Yahweh could see in David long before he would become king.

APPLY:

Selecting Godly leadership is not a matter for beauty pageants or “central casting.” Godly character is what matters.

Samuel is instructed by Yahweh:

Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.

David certainly wasn’t perfect as a king. He committed a grievous sin of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11). He was not permitted to build a temple to Yahweh because he was a man of war (1 Chronicles 28:3) . But he sincerely repented of his sins.

And overall he did live up to the description in the New Testament that he was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). He never sought to subvert Saul as king, but pledged his loyalty to his sovereign. Even when Saul sought to take his life, David spared the life of Saul when David had the chance to kill him. When David became king, he was victorious in war, and deeply devoted to Yahweh. He consolidated the restless 12 tribes of Israel and Judah into one kingdom, and inaugurated the golden age of Israel’s royal era.

Fortunately for all of us, God is able to fulfill his purposes through imperfect people – like us.

RESPOND:

In over 37 years of ministry, I have had the responsibility for interviewing potential employees and candidates for ministry. Together with committees, I have looked at dozens and dozens of resumes, references, credentials, and academic records.

I could only wish in some of those situations that the Holy Spirit had spoken to me in the same way that he spoke to Samuel. Perhaps he did and I just wasn’t listening.

Of course it is possible for candidates to lie or deceive. However, after all of the resumes, references, credentials and academic records have been reviewed, and competence and qualifications have been weighed, there is still one more question to be asked – what about character?

This is not a matter of eliminating a candidate because they have made some mistakes in the past. That would eliminate all of us from consideration for almost any position. But chronic vulgarity, dishonesty, and poor choices should be a clue about a person’s moral trajectory.

Unlike Samuel, we may not be able to receive a divine glimpse into someone’s heart – but we can still use common sense when we choose employees – or leaders, for that matter!

Lord, we are faced with decisions every day about people. We don’t want to judge them; but we are compelled to be discerning about who will lead our churches, our boards, even our country. Give us that spiritual discernment to see the heart of those we choose, and those we elect. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Looking through God’s glasses” by maisie lo is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for March 22, 2015

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:24-25

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:24-25

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

John 12:20-33

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a difficult passage, especially for Western Christians who love life and all it has to offer.

It begins with the overtures from Gentiles, specifically Greeks, who have obviously heard all the hullaballoo about this wonderworker from Nazareth, and are curious to see him. Jesus has just entered into the city in the triumphal entry, and no doubt the Greeks’ interest has been aroused.

We know from sources outside of scripture that the Greeks had a reputation as folks who were interested in learning about other cultures and world views – e.g., Herodotus. Were these Greeks interested in Jesus from a purely academic point of view, or was their interest more spiritual?

The disciples seem a little flustered by their request. John’s description almost makes them seem like teenagers getting on the phone to report the latest gossip! Philip tells Andrew, and then together they go to tell Jesus. But this has been a pattern since the beginning, when Andrew went and told Simon Peter about Jesus (John 1:40-41); and Philip went and found Nathaniel (John 1:45). And then again when Andrew brings the boy to Jesus with five barley loaves and two fish, wherewith Jesus feeds the five thousand (John 6:8-9).

Jesus’ answer to them is interesting. “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” It is as though this news is a kind of cue to him that he is now to be crucified and raised to life. As though the Gentile seekers are the prompt to him that indicates that his message is now about to “go viral,” so to speak, in the sense that the Gospel will be spread to the non-Jewish nations as well.

And now comes the “hard saying” of Jesus. His metaphor of the grain of wheat that must die and be buried in the ground in order to produce more grain seems to make sense – so it is with his own death and resurrection. Fine so far.

But then Jesus shocks us: He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. This is paradoxical to us. But it is not the first time we hear this teaching in the New Testament: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” This appears in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Paul also says he is crucified with Christ and says I die daily.

I will address this more directly in the Apply section, but it is clear that without dying to self, life is not possible. This is grounded in the theology of the cross – without crucifixion, there can be no resurrection.

This seems the moment in the Gospel of John that Jesus has his “Gethsemane” long before the Upper Room and the actual departure to the Garden of Gethsemane: “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” Jesus confesses the same misgivings that are expressed in the other Gospels.

Only here, God the Father gives the Son clear affirmation as his voice declares that he has glorified the name of his Son and will do so again. This has echoes of the Transfiguration passage that appears in all three of the Synoptic Gospels.

And Jesus makes clear that this affirmation is not for his sake, but for the disciples’ sake. Then he sums up what his saving work will accomplish: the judgment has come, with the direct result that the ruler of this world will be defeated – i.e., Satan, who has held this world in thrall since the fall. And Jesus declares the method by which this will be accomplished – by his own cross: And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

This is a fitting close to this passage – it begins with the Greeks seeking Jesus; and ends with Jesus promising that his death will draw all peoples to him. His ministry and message will be global!

APPLY:

There are several levels at which we can apply this passage: the hunger for truth that motivates the Greeks to seek Jesus; the mission of evangelism, which is simply to bring people to Jesus; the focus on the cross.

So, why not focus on the most difficult aspect of this passage? He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

On the one hand, this is a statement of brutal fact: no matter how much we love our lives, we will all die. We will lose it. But Jesus obviously means more than this.

I fear that articulating this may be well beyond me, but let me try. Life is good, and beautiful, and pleasurable. How well we know that, especially those of us who are Christians in the West. And it is life-affirming for us to give thanks for all the good gifts that God has given us.

However, even the best gifts in this world fade, decay, and wither away. If we focus on those gifts as the source of our joy and meaning, we may well lose sight of the Giver of those gifts. And when the good things are gone, our joy will be gone as well.

So, if we love our lives, we will lose them. But if our focus is beyond these gifts, and we are prepared to let go of them, then they no longer control us. Our focus becomes the life that exists beyond those things that are transient. The permanent, real life of the eternal.

This is one of the reasons that we practice self-denial and fasting, by the way – so that we can remind ourselves not to be bound by our appetites. It also helps for us to learn to give away those things that we may prize the most, so that we wean ourselves away from their control in our lives.

RESPOND:

I took a confirmation class to a Roman Catholic church one time. I thought it would be good for those Methodist kids to see that there were other Christians than themselves around. It was there that the priest, a very affable and fun guy, said a most interesting thing: “The reason I wear black all the time is because I’m supposed to be dead to the world.”

Wow. I knew this priest as a joker, a guy who enjoyed other people, who had a good time. And yet, he had learned to hold everything lightly, to be ready to let go at a moment’s notice.

It reminded me of something that I learned long ago – that I will one day lose everything I have, everything I own, every person that I love. The only thing that will endure is my relationship with God, and whatever touches the real life of God.

Lord, I love my life – but I will lose it, and everything I associate with it. I know that. If I have to die in order to live, then it will only be by your grace. Help me to let go of those things that hold on to me; help me to give up control of those things that tend to control me. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Seed Depth” by Kelly Sikkema is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Background photo: “Splatter” by Chrysti is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.
“8/52 Don't wait for me. [E-X-P-L-O-R-E-D]” by Kevin Lallier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for March 22, 2015

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Hebrews 5:5-10

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Of all the writings of the New Testament, the book of Hebrews makes the closest connection with the ceremonies of the sacrificial system of Leviticus in the Old Testament.

Hebrews, although called by some an epistle, is really more of a sermon or a treatise dealing with the ways in which Jesus fulfills all the laws of the sacrificial system in his life, death and resurrection as the perfect High Priest.

Elsewhere in Hebrews, the writer points out that although Jesus is not by lineage of the priestly order, but rather of the house of Judah, nevertheless God has designated him as the High Priest. God also declares that Jesus is begotten as his Son (See Psalm 2:7). His authority comes not from his family lineage or human title, but from God himself!

And then there is the stranger reference to the priesthood of Melchizedek! This is also a reference to Psalm 110:4. Both Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 might be regarded as Messianic Psalms.

But the reference to Melchizedek goes back even farther and is even more mysterious. There are only two references to this shadowy figure, the one in Psalm 110, and the strange encounter between Abram and Melchizedek in Genesis 14.

To review: Abram has just rescued his nephew Lot from the five kings who have besieged Sodom and captured Lot and his family. On his way back home, Abraham passes by Salem (the future location of Jerusalem), and this strange encounter ensues: Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything (Genesis 14:18-20).

So, who is this Melchizedek and why is he mentioned here? Remember that the book of Hebrews is illustrating the continuity between the Old and New Testament. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.

So one way to understand this account is that the writer of Hebrews is using the method of typology, looking for foreshadowing of the coming of Christ throughout the Hebrew Bible. But another, more mystical interpretation, is that Melchizedek actually is the Second Person of the Trinity, the Christ who made himself manifest to Abram some 2000 years before the incarnation. In keeping with Christ’s preexistence, he came to offer bread and wine – a foreshadowing of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper – and to offer a highly priestly blessing for Abram.

In this context, though, the writer of Hebrews is making the point that the High Priestly office of Christ transcends time and place and lineage – that he was High Priest long before Moses established the priestly line of Aaron.

As the High Priest, Jesus offered up prayers and intercession. But even more than that, because he obeys God’s plan to make sacrifice for sins, Jesus’ work and ministry are perfected and He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek.”

His High Priesthood, established before time began, is confirmed by his willingness to suffer. And as the sacrifices of the temple attempted but failed to do, Jesus becomes the ultimate sacrifice who is able to impute righteousness to those who believe.

APPLY:

Although we may struggle a bit with the concepts of Melchizedek and High Priesthood and vicarious sacrifice, we are assured by this passage that God has a plan to answer our sin and separation from him.

We are reminded in this passage that as our High Priest, Jesus hasn’t merely been given that title by the Father – he has in some sense earned it. Though he cried out to avert the pain of death, nevertheless he was obedient even unto death – and by his death and resurrection provided us with eternal salvation.

This makes him the perfect High Priest for us. He has suffered for us, and in a sense with us. As Hebrews 2: 17-18 says, Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

So we have a High Priest who is our sacrifice and also our intercessor – not only from before time began, and in ancient times in the type and person of Melchizedek, but who also has endured the cross and the grave for us. He has tasted the worst that we can experience, and has conquered. And in him we also conquer!

RESPOND:

One of the most precious images of Jesus to me is as my High Priest. Not one who is high and remote and aloof in robes and splendor, but one who has descended to my level and suffered for me and with me. His plea to “let this cup pass from me” is one I can understand. And yet he endured the cross, despising the shame. He has suffered the depths of death – and even has become sin (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21) for my sake, that I might become righteous. And as High Priest he now intercedes for me forever. That deserves my praise and thanks forever and ever.

Lord, as my High Priest you pray for me constantly. Oh how that comforts and strengthens me when I’m discouraged and uncertain. The Second Person of the Trinity, the Incarnate God, the God/Man prays for me! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

 PHOTOS:
“Jews For Jesus” by Jeffrey Zeldman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
“This Is Love” by Rene Yoshi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for March 22, 2015

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 51:1-12

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Psalm 51 is no doubt one of the most famous of the “Penitential Psalms.” Attributed to David, the heading provides a context that we can easily understand: that this Psalm was written after the Prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba.

The story behind all this has all the ingredients of a television crime show murder mystery: intrigue, sexual attraction, conspiracy, murder, confrontation. What it also has that the murder mystery might lack, however, is true repentance.

For the sake of review, the background of the story is found in 2 Samuel 11-12. One gets the impression that David is loafing a little. His troops are out on a distant battlefield besieging the city of Rabbah of the Ammonites. David is relaxing on his rooftop, and beholds a beautiful woman bathing. In the words of Mel Brooks’ version of King Louis in History of the World Part One, “It’s good to be the king!” David indulges his lust. Bathsheba becomes pregnant. The complication of the story is that Bathsheba is married to one of David’s best soldiers, Uriah the Hittite! So David compounds the problem by arranging for Uriah’s death in battle. David is then free to marry Bathsheba. But God lays it on the Prophet Nathan’s heart to confront David with his sin. No doubt that was a difficult task! Nathan uses a clever story to help David see an injustice, and David becomes irate against the perpetrator of the injustice. Then comes the twist: Nathan says, “You are the man!”

David writes Psalm 51 from a broken and penitent heart. He is counting not on his own repentance or expiation, but only on the mercy of God. He is certain of God’s unfailing love and great compassion. He has no other choice.

The only remedy for his sin is the hope that God will blot out, cleanse, and wash his sins away. He does not try to bargain with God, or make any excuses.

In fact, he admits his transgressions and his sin. We might be a bit puzzled that he also adds Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. If this is truly written following the famous incident from 2 Samuel, David has committed adultery, deception and murder! How can he possibly say that he has only sinned against God?

Possible options may include that this Psalm wasn’t actually written by David at all, but by an anonymous author confessing his spiritual sins against God, not against other people. Or it may be that David is saying that as king of Israel, he is ultimately accountable to God, since no one else other than God has the authority to judge him or punish him. I prefer the second possibility for the sake of consistency with the account from 2 Samuel.

And we also have here a clear statement of birth sin — suggesting that sin is innate in the human character: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. This may be as clear a statement confirming the doctrine of Original Sin as we may find.

Nevertheless, David also expresses the utmost confidence in the power of God to cleanse him of his sin. The hyssop branch was dipped in water in certain temple rituals and used as a ceremonial symbol of cleansing. But his cry is for complete and total cleansing — for his sins to be blotted out. He is not asking that God ignore the sin, but forgive it.

Even more, he begs God to completely cleanse his heart, renew a right spirit, and not to abandon him. He prays that the Holy Spirit may not be removed. In other words, on the other side of repentance he wishes to be a new man, to be utterly changed — for the joy of salvation to be restored. He is not interested only in avoiding the consequences of his sin — he wants to be completely renewed spiritually and morally!

My only wish is that the lectionary editors had included verse 13, to show what life on the other side of his sin might be like: Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. This illustrates that the repentance and renewal that he seeks is not merely personal but social — his confidence that his experience might be constructive in turning others back toward God.

APPLY:

It is often said that before we can truly turn to God, we must recognize our brokenness. Before we can repent, we must be convinced of the reality of our sin.

The saying is attributed to C.S. Lewis that “Christianity has nothing to say to those who do not recognize that they are sinners.”

If we begin with our brokenness, Psalm 51 will speak to us about our condition; and for us to our God.

The good news – no, the great news – in this Psalm is that it expresses the absolute faith that though we are broken, God is merciful, loving, compassionate; and he will not only cleanse us of sin but also restore us and renew us and fill us with his Holy Spirit.

And then he will give us a commission to reach others with the same good news of mercy and forgiveness that we have received!

RESPOND:

How well I can identify with the cry of David for mercy! No, I haven’t murdered anyone or committed adultery, but I can remember all too well trying to excuse my sins and selfishness, and that painful moment of realization that I had sinned against God.

The network of relationships that one makes over the years, and the possibilities for wronging, injuring, and exploiting others becomes tangled. In that sense our sin is not merely against flesh and blood human beings, but against God himself. And ultimately it is only God who can free us from this net of self.

Our Lord, forgive me for my convoluted sense of self-importance, and my heart that is curved in upon itself. That is the root of my problem. Have mercy on me, cleanse me of my sin, renew my heart, fill me with your Holy Spirit, and empower me to reach others with this message of reconciliation. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Psalm 51-10” by New Life Church Collingword is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
“Psalm 51-1” by New Life Church Collingword is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
The photo used as a background: "45 rpm record" by Paul Sherman has been released into public domain.

Old Testament for March 22, 2015

Start with Scripture:

Jeremiah 31:31-34

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jeremiah was prophesying in Jerusalem in an extremely difficult time. Israel, the Northern Kingdom, had long before been swept away by the Assyrian empire in 722 B.C. But now a new “bully” had arisen, the Babylonian empire. The Babylonians actually invaded Judah and Jerusalem three times between 597 and 582 B.C.

Poor Judah, the Southern Kingdom, was wedged between two mighty superpowers: the Babylonians and the Egyptians. And the kings of Judah vacillated between throwing their lot in with Babylon or Egypt.

It was in this context that Jeremiah was trying to warn the king and the people that destruction was coming. A big part of the reason for that is that they have been guilty of idolatry, oppressing the poor, and seeking security in false alliances.

Jeremiah accuses his people of having broken the covenant that God had put into place at Sinai: Then the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them. For I earnestly exhorted your fathers in the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, until this day, rising early and exhorting, saying, “Obey My voice.” Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone followed the dictates of his evil heart; therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but which they have not done.’” (Jeremiah 11:6-8).

But here’s the good news – God will make a new covenant between himself and his people. Jeremiah uses the image of marriage to describe the relationship between God and Judah – I was a husband to them, says the Lord.

This imagery of marriage between God and his people is used often by the other prophets as well, especially Hosea – but it’s not necessarily a happy image. In fact, the people of Israel have been unfaithful to their divine “husband” and the covenant has been broken.

Hence the need for a new covenant. Only this time the covenant won’t be an external set of laws. Instead, God says, I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

This law will be internal. And God will once again “marry” them. In other words, this law will be based not on external do’s and don’ts, but on relationship. The people will know the Lord in their own hearts and minds, and their previous sins will be forgiven.

APPLY:

It’s easy to see why New Testament writers apply this passage to the New Covenant introduced by Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:6 suggests that this New Covenant is the Covenant of the Spirit at work in our lives: not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The external law, written by Moses, can tell us what holiness and righteousness are, but that law does not make us holy and righteous. Only the inner law, written on our hearts through the Spirit, completes God’s saving work. And it is all God’s Spirit that accomplishes this, not human works righteousness.

Paul points out that the Mosaic law had only a fading glory, because it could not deliver glory but only condemnation. But the ministry of the Spirit brings true righteousness, because it comes from the Lord: the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

RESPOND:

The promises of God aren’t new. They have been attested to long ago: that righteousness is received by faith (Genesis 15:6); that the Spirit writes his law of love on the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34); that this Spirit will be poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28-29).

So, God is changing me from the inside out rather than the outside in. My relationship with him isn’t based on how well I keep the list of do’s and don’ts, but on what God is doing in my life through his Spirit. Rather than trying to clean me up on the exterior, he is cleaning me up from the interior.

God has performed heart surgery in my life, and now is completing the work that he has started.

Lord, by my faith in Christ you are already rewriting the “code” in my heart. From legalism and self-righteousness, may your Spirit make you known to me more deeply, and may I live out the law of love in my life. Amen.

PHOTOS:
The background photo: “Vapour trail heart” by audi_insperation is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.