Gospel for November 29, 2020

No, actually:
“Of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”    Mark 13:32 [World English Bible]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 13:24-37
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage is a part of the whole of chapter 13 known by scholars as the Little Apocalypse.  Jesus is addressing issues about the end of the age and the coming of the Son of Man.  A Little Apocalypse appears in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), with a little variation but basically the same theme and much of the same language.

It seems obvious to say that Jesus believes in the second coming, and that he is himself the Son of Man, as designated by the title given in the Book of Daniel.  The Son of Man is an apocalyptic title for the Messiah in that context.

Context is always vital in biblical interpretation, and it should be noted that the first half of chapter 13 deals with the predicted destruction of the temple, the rise of false messiahs, and a time of chaos and persecution.  And it is also helpful to note that Jesus makes these declarations about the end as he is facing his own arrest and execution.  In chapter 14 he will be anointed by the woman at the house of Simon, which he interprets to be a preparation for his burial.

The language and the imagery are extremely vivid and dramatic, as in all apocalyptical literature.  The language of Apocalyptic always strikes me as “dreamlike.”  Jesus is trying to describe the indescribable. That is not to suggest that the darkened moon and the stars falling from the skies, the Son of Man coming in the clouds, and the angels sent to gather the elect are not literal images — I believe it very likely they are, although they are beyond imagination. But they are also symbols to us of a transcendent reality that will break in at the end of the age.

Perhaps knowing how difficult this imagery is for us as humans to understand, Jesus then “accommodates” our weak understanding by using very ordinary examples — the fig tree and the master of a household.

He tells us that we can see the fig tree producing its leaves and can predict that summer is coming. And the master who puts his servants to work and goes away may come back at any moment, so they are to be busy and to be watching and waiting for him.

That seems paradoxical. On the one hand, there are signs that we can notice that tell us the time is near. On the other hand, we don’t know when these things will happen, so we have to constantly be working and watching.

What does Jesus mean when he says:

Most certainly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen.

Some scholars would argue that Jesus and his followers expected his imminent return after his resurrection.

But then why does Jesus make it clear that even he doesn’t know when that day will be?

But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Even Jesus himself is an “agnostic” about the second coming, and refuses to predict it on several occasions in scripture.

Here is a possible solution.  Could it be that there are two levels of prophecy occurring here?  On the one hand Jesus is predicting an event that will happen within a generation or so of his death and resurrection — the destruction of Jerusalem.  When he refers to the generation that will not pass away until this has happened, could it be that this event is what he is referring to?  The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus occurred in 70 A.D., just a little less than 40 years after the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, by most reckoning.

On the other hand, Jesus is also talking about ultimate events that will take place when the Son of Man returns and the end of the age takes place.  About time and seasons for those ultimate events he pleads ignorance, but he warns his followers to be faithful servants, like the household servants in the parable, and be ready and waiting.  Don’t let the Master catch you sleeping!

APPLY:  

The interpretation of apocalyptic literature can be a little like a Rorshach test — we all read into it what is already in our own minds.  This can be misleading, because we fail to look carefully at the context of the teaching.

In this case, I believe Jesus is addressing two issues.  One has to do with the immediate future in his day.  We often forget when we read prophetic or apocalyptic literature that despite all the later interpretations that have been given, there was also a meaning for that time.  Here Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem, and that event does happen… within four decades.  If anything, that may confirm our confidence that his credentials as a prophet are pretty good.

On the other hand, Jesus is also promising the coming of the kingdom of God.  This is especially important as he is preparing for his own death.  His words are intended to give his own disciples comfort, and also serve to remind us some 2,000 years later that history is going somewhere, and it will be somewhere GOOD!

But this also needs to be a caution to us about heeding the apocalyptical speculations that abound in our own time.  If Jesus — who is the very Son of God, God in the flesh, the Second Person of the Trinity — professes ignorance about his own coming and reserves that knowledge to God the Father only, how arrogant is it for us to presume to try and read the coded language as some sort of tea leaves, and set a definite date!

That seems the very thing Jesus tells us not to do!

Two things we need to know and to practice when it comes to the apocalypse — we don’t know when it will happen; and we need to be faithful and ready for that day whenever it does happen.  It may come at any time!

RESPOND: 

I am comforted by Jesus’ teaching about the future. The prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem helps support my faith that he is in fact a divine prophet.  But his honest admission that he doesn’t know when the end will come comforts me with his transparency.  He doesn’t know when, and I don’t need to know when.  I just need to be ready, every day.  Like Martin Luther, I need to have two dates on my calendar:

I have two days in my calendar: This day and THAT day.

Our Lord, you have made it clear that you are coming again.  This is a promise as clear as your word that you love the world, and that you died to ransom me from my sins, and that you rose from the dead.  I don’t have to know when you are coming.  Like a child I may ask from time to time, “Is he here yet?”  But like a child I also rest in the faith that you will come back for me, and for your church.  Amen.  

PHOTOS:
"Evidently, 2012 is a lie" by Geoff Sloan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for November 29, 2020

Paul urges the Corinthians to exercise their spiritual gifts for the sake of the church, as they wait eagerly for Christ’s return.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul is writing to a church he knows very well — their virtues, and their warts.  He had planted the church in Corinth, and had spent at least a year and a half among them.

His greeting is fairly conventional for Paul’s epistles, but he quickly transitions into a personal salutation, giving thanks to God for the grace they had received.

Then he deftly mentions pertinent issues in his greeting that will be featured significantly in both 1 & 2 Corinthians — their “enrichment,” “speech” and “knowledge.”

Some of the controversies that Paul will deal with in this letter relate to a sense of superiority that some of the Corinthian Christians had assumed because of their particular gifts — especially in knowledge.  And his reference to “speech” suggests his awareness that some of them are questioning his authority because he seemed to them to lack the eloquence of preachers like Apollos.

He compliments them:

in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that you come behind in no gift.

Notice that even when he is preparing the way for correction, or even a little scolding that will come later in the letter, he is trying to find some things that he can praise.

But he is also reminding them that these spiritual gifts are all in some sense transitional. He will make this especially clear in chapter 13 when he praises love as the ultimate spiritual gift, and the one of three that will endure (those three being faith, hope, and love).

And he points out that whatever gifts they may enjoy, the greatest gift ultimately is Christ.  They are not to be satisfied with the spiritual gifts that they receive, because they are looking forward to the time when Christ will be revealed.  It’s not the gifts that matter, it is the Giver of the gifts!

So, there is embedded in this short passage a little hint of Paul’s eschatology (his view of last things).  The Corinthians are to exercise their spiritual gifts for the sake of the church as they wait eagerly for Christ’s return.  And he promises that the same one who saved them and who gave them gifts is the same one who can keep them blameless from sin when the day of judgment arrives:

 the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

His last word, at least in this little excerpt, is a reminder that the one who called them is also faithful to keep them in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

APPLY:  

There seems to be a lot packed into this brief little introduction by Paul.  What can we take away from it?

First, we are reminded that God is the giver of all good gifts.  Paul will explore the spiritual gifts at some length in 1 Corinthians 12 – 14, so suffice it to say here that we need to claim the gifts that God has given us, and give all the glory to God!

More to the point, given the time of year, we realize that this is an Advent reading.  That means it is intended to help prepare us for the coming of Christ.  We are to wait eagerly, even as we exercise our spiritual gifts for the good of others around us.

Even more, we notice the emphasis on God’s power to purify us for that day. Paul says that God:

will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This makes me think of John Wesley’s understanding of salvation — it is both pardon and power.  We are pardoned from sin, but we are also liberated from sin’s power to control us.  To paraphrase Wesley, ‘What God has done for us he also does in us.’

Let’s hope that we don’t simply see salvation as “fire insurance,” but that when Christ appears at last he intends for us to be holy as he is holy.

RESPOND: 

I tend to become easily distracted by the spiritual gifts, especially the flashy ones, and lose sight of the Giver.  As I look forward to the coming of Christ in history, I am praying that I will use whatever meager gifts I have to the fullest extent possible on behalf of the kingdom of God; that I may remain firm to the end; and that I may be purified by God’s grace so that I may stand blameless before the throne of grace.

Lord, as you bestow your gifts for ministry and service on your people, remind us that they are only a means to an end.  The end is ultimately fellowship with you.  To that end, keep us firm and faithful and make us blameless by your matchless grace.  Amen.  

PHOTOS:
“Paul’s first letter to the Church at Corinth” uses this photo:
“Seal” by KayVee.INC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for November 29, 2020

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm appeals to the Lord for intervention in a time of adversity.  It is described as a Psalm of Lament.  It is difficult to tell from the context alone if the Psalm was written before or after the exile of Israel.  It doesn’t really matter to the reader, because it is clearly a cry for help in any event. One clue, though, might be the mention of the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh, which would suggest that the Psalm was written before the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and scattered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.

The imagery of the Lord as Shepherd is familiar to us, and comforting — but then there is the imagery of the Lord sitting enthroned between the cherubim. The cherubim are those terrifying angelic figures who are depicted as the guardians of Eden with a sword of flame, and the close companions of the Lord who bear him up with wings of the wind.  This description of Yahweh is much more intimidating.  There may also be a reference to the winged cherubim made of gold who flank the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies within the temple.

But what does the Psalmist seek? Restoration, revival, salvation.  He cries out for the Lord to awaken, and to make his face shine on them again.  This hearkens back to the Deuteronomic blessing that Aaron was instructed to give as High Priest:

Yahweh bless you, and keep you.
Yahweh make his face to shine on you,
and be gracious to you.
Yahweh lift up his face toward you,
and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

There may also be a reference to the glory of God that accompanies his presence — the same glory that made the face of Moses shine after he’d been in the presence of the Lord.

But there’s a catch — God is now angry with Israel.  The result of his anger is the deep grief of Israel and the derision and mockery by their enemies.  Their grief is expressed in a very concrete image — their very food is drenched by tears, and their drinking bowls are full of tears!

We don’t really know the specific cause of this disruption in their relationship with their God, but it could be any one of many of Israel’s historic setbacks.

The refrain recurs as a kind of litany three times:

Revive us, and we will call on your name.
Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies.
Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

And what is the source of that salvation?  The Christian reader can’t help but read into the Psalm a messianic prophecy:

Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

The phrase  son of man  may have many meanings, but one that is inescapable for the Christian is Messianic.  Jesus uses this phrase repeatedly in the Gospels when referring to himself.

APPLY:  

At some point we all know how it feels to be defeated, demoralized, in despair — as a nation, a family, an individual.  The cry of the Psalmist isn’t far from the experience of any of us.

We have all tasted our own tears of grief or shame; and we probably know what it feels like to be despised by someone because of our mistakes.

What we cry out for, in our nation, our church, our family, our own lives, is revival and restoration.  If once we have experienced the presence of God in our lives — if we have known the  shine  of his face — and it has faded for us, we earnestly yearn for it again.

We will find our revival and restoration in the life and the light of Christ, who brings not only salvation from our sins but healing to our hearts, and the power to live the holy lives to which he calls us.

RESPOND: 

I find myself from time to time dealing with my own drift away from God.  I have to cry out again for renewal and revival.  As with the Psalmist this happens when I begin to call out God’s name and seek to live according to the claims of his name.

Our Lord, our nation experiences victories, but also sees defeats — the disabled veteran who wonders ‘was it worth it?’ The ambiguity of race relations in a divided country.  And our own personal struggles with grief or depression.  We don’t have the wisdom to provide all the answers.  But you have provided a Person who is wisdom incarnate, and salvation, and new life!  May we find our source of healing and salvation in Christ! Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Psalm 80-7” by tea4judy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for November 29, 2020

This is one of the more intimate portrayals of the relationship of God and his people in the Old Testament. Not often is God called Father, until the teaching of Jesus; and there is a sense that Israel is completely submitted to the will of the Lord, like clay in a potter’s hands.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 64:1-9
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This oracle from Isaiah looks both backward and forward in time. The Prophet implores the Lord to enter onto the stage of history in a dramatic way:

Oh that you would tear the heavens,
that you would come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence.

The Prophet is asking that the Lord do what he has done in the past, and intervene in human history.

The context for this plea, according to many scholars, is the post-exilic world of the so-called “Third Isaiah” who some believe wrote at least the chapters from 56 to 64.

While this can be disputed, no one can dispute the powerful petition that Isaiah makes for divine intervention.  The Prophet makes it clear that the God of Israel is unlike any other so-called gods, because the Lord is a God who acts decisively for his people.

God’s intervention is based on a moral compass:

You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
those who remember you in your ways.

However, there is also a flip side to God’s intervention — when God’s people disobeyed God’s ways, God became angry.  There is a moral demand that accompanies the divine deliverance in this passage. When the people sin and turn away from God, God also turns away from them:

There is no one who calls on your name,
who stirs himself up to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.

This oracle has some of the most striking language in the Scriptures:

• Righteous acts are like filthy rags, meaning they are soaked in blood;
• The faithless, hapless people shrivel up like leaves and blow away.

And yet there is the sense that the Prophet has that Israel is still absolutely dependent on God, and that their destiny is shaped by the Lord:

But now, Yahweh, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you our potter.
We all are the work of your hand.

This is one of the more intimate portrayals of the relationship of God and his people in the Old Testament.  Not often is God called Father, until the teaching of Jesus; and there is a sense that Israel is completely submitted to the will of the Lord, like clay in a potter’s hands.

It is on this relationship that the Prophet presumes to plead for mercy and forgiveness.  He doesn’t deny the sins that have caused God’s anger, but he begs that God might forget those sins.

APPLY:  

When we ask for God to intervene today as he once did in the past, we might want to consider what we are asking.  Isaiah reminds us that God’s righteousness and holiness are absolute, and his expectation of us is that we also be righteous and holy!

The reality is that without the holiness of God at work in our lives, even our most well-intentioned good works and morality are tainted by self-interest and mixed motives:

 all our righteousness is like a polluted garment.

This reminds us of our absolute dependence on the grace of God.  We are to be submitted to God as completely and passively as clay is submitted to the potter.  The clay doesn’t get to tell the potter what it wants to be, or how it should be shaped. Neither should we.

So, when we ask for mercy and forgiveness from God, it is very important that we begin with a sense of complete abandonment of ourselves to God.  God has everything to offer, and we have nothing.

The only works we do that will last are those that derive from God.  Ephesians points out that we are saved by grace alone; but it also insists that:

we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

In other words, from beginning to end our salvation is all God’s work, including those “good works” that we do. The only good works that please God are those that come from God originally.

RESPOND: 

I am reminded of my own mixed motives when it comes to “doing good.”  Do I do what I do because I know that I am clay in God’s hands and that he is working through me, or because I know someone else is watching and will think more highly of me?  When I pray for God to come down and bring judgment, I need to pray first for mercy!

Our Lord, we see so much in our world that we deem worthy of your righteous judgment.  But then we realize that we also deserve your judgment! So once again we find ourselves on our knees begging for mercy.  May we be the clay in your hands, that you might shape us and our lives according to your purposes.  Amen.  

PHOTOS:
“Studio workday” by t. chen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for November 29, 2015

“Watch and Pray” Fr. Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. took this photograph of a detail from a medieval window in York Minster.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Luke 21:25-36

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage is a dramatic reminder that Advent is not merely a season of preparation for Christmas.  Advent prepares us not only to observe the nativity of Jesus and his first coming in history; Advent also prepares us now to anticipate his coming at the end of time.

This section of Luke’s Gospel is part of a passage known in the discourse of Jesus as the “Little Apocalypse,” from Luke 21:5-36.  Parallel teachings are also found in the other “Synoptic Gospels” (synoptic means that Matthew, Mark and Luke include many of the same stories, with a similar sequence of events, in distinction from the Gospel of John); those passages may be found in Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

In this passage, there is not much subtlety about the signs presaging the coming of the kingdom of God: 

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

The heavens and the earth will point to cosmic events that are to come.

Jesus describes the coming of the Son of Man – a term he uses frequently throughout the Synoptic Gospels as a Messianic title to describe himself. The phrase originates in the Hebrew Bible, especially in the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel.

Jesus makes it quite clear that he expects to return after his death and resurrection as the conquering Messiah:

Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.

These are intended to be words not of foreboding but of comfort to those who follow Jesus:

Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Then, as is a common practice in the teachings of Jesus, he uses a parable to explain his meaning:

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees;  as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near.  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

The analogy is clear.  Just as there are signs in nature that spring has come and summer is coming, so he is saying that there will be events in heaven and on earth that will presage the coming of the kingdom of God.  He isn’t more specific about what those signs are, perhaps because he feels that those signs will be self-explanatory.

 But there are some aspects of this passage that are not at all clear to us.  Jesus says:

 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Does he mean that the generation living at that time 2000 years ago would experience the apocalyptic events that he predicts? If so, he either wasn’t speaking literally, or he was wrong. I’m not willing to accept the notion that Jesus was wrong.

On the other hand, does Jesus mean that the generation who will be living when these events begin to unfold will witness these things?  If so, then these are events that are still to happen in the future. This could mean that the generation living in that future time will witness those cosmic events and see these things come to pass.  These events might happen 2000, 4000, or 100,000 years in the future!  Or they might happen today.

But what Jesus doesn’t leave open to question is his own belief that his words are infallibly true:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

What Jesus insists is that his followers must be prepared for these events whenever they may come, by their moral choices, their lifestyle, and their sense of spiritual alertness: 

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Jesus advises his followers to be prepared for his inevitable return that will be revealed to the whole world.

APPLY:  

Advent was not originally a season of Christmas lights, revelry and commercialism.  Originally Advent was a season of solemn preparation for the final coming of Christ.

We celebrate Christmas because Jesus was born to save us through his life, death and resurrection.  But our experience of his redemption is not complete until we see:

‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.

The conclusion is inescapable if we take the words of Jesus seriously. Christ’s words are guaranteed by himself. Jesus fully expects to return in history at the end of the age.

The application for our lives is that we are to be ready at all times for his return. We are living in the interim time, between the first coming of Jesus and his final coming.  And we are not to be absorbed with self-indulgence, dissipation, or even with the anxieties of everyday life.  Those choices are all a trap.

We are to watch and pray at all times as we await the return of Christ.

RESPOND: 

Apocalyptic literature in the Bible is always controversial.  I came to faith in Christ in 1974 when “End Times Prophecy” was a growth industry, with books that became best sellers because they promised to interpret the signs that would surely tell us all when Jesus would return.

Since my conversion 41 years ago, there have been multiple predictions by “End Times Experts” of the exact date and time Jesus would return.  Each time the “prophets” have been wrong.

My take is this: Jesus has promised to return, and he will return.  But prognosticating how and when is none of my business.  Jesus has told us that on several occasions.

There are two things that I firmly believe Jesus teaches about the Second Coming:

First, he tells us that he himself doesn’t know when these events will take place:  

But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36).

If Jesus doesn’t know when he shall return, how can we have the audacity to determine the when and the where?

Second, Jesus tells us that we have a job to do while we await his return:

When Jesus is preparing to ascend into heaven as described in Acts 1, the disciples ask the question,

“Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

Jesus answers this question by saying:

“It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).

I sometimes joke with folks when they say to me “Preacher, why don’t you do something about the weather?” I answer, “I’m in sales, not in management.”  That may be a rather facetious but accurate way to approach speculation about End Times.  We Christians are in sales, not in management.  Our task is to pray, watch, work, and witness.  The management of times and dates is none of our business.

I do believe in the doctrine of the Second Coming, but I confess I don’t live as though I anticipate Christ’s imminent return.  I need to be more aware of the distinct possibility that he could come at any time, and I must live accordingly.

Lord, forgive my self-indulgence, and my misplaced anxieties.  Help me to remain vigilant and to pray unceasingly, and to live as one ready for the end.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Watch and Pray” by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for November 29, 2015

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul expresses his warm feelings for the Christians of Thessalonika in what is believed to be his first letter to one of his mission churches.  He had visited Thessalonika during his second missionary journey, around 50-52 A.D.  He may have written this letter during the winter of the following year while he was preaching in Corinth.

Paul obviously had a very positive relationship with the Christians in this city on the coast of Macedonia:

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?

He prays that he may revisit them again and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. This is perhaps a euphemistic way of saying that they still have some growing up to do in their discipleship.

On the one hand, he praises them for receiving the Gospel so readily, and he shares the report from Timothy that they are filled with faith and love.

But Paul also reminds the Thessalonians of the moral demands of the Gospel and how they are to live together in community.

And he prays for their love for each other and for others in general, because love is a real mark of Christianity.

Paul’s ultimate prayer is that God may:

….so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Paul is not merely interested in their initial response to the Gospel, but that they continue to grow in grace so that when Christ returns they may be prepared.

APPLY:  

This passage is a gentle reminder that our relationship with God is dynamic, not static.  What I mean by that is that even after we have turned to Christ in faith, we are to continue to grow in Christ.

The goal is holiness, and the best definition of holiness is love.  We may find it hard enough to love the members of our own community, but loving those outside of the community is the real challenge. True holiness focuses on relationship with God and with people:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39).

One thing seems pretty clear: if we love God, we will find ourselves obeying his commandments because we are grateful for his love.  And if we love our neighbor, we won’t do those things that are harmful to them, and we will only do those things that are beneficial to them.   

Part of the dynamic nature of our relationship with God is the reminder that Jesus will return. And the way to be ready for his coming is to be like him – loving, holy and blameless.

RESPOND: 

This passage is not only appropriate for this Advent season, it seems appropriate for our circumstances today.

I was in church on Sunday when I heard the pastor say that he believed we Americans should welcome Syrian refugees to our country, and offer them hospitality.  This is despite the fears of terrorist extremists.

He went on to explain —  what better witness can we as Christians offer to non-Christians about the love of Christ?  What a terrific opportunity!

My reaction was mixed.  I thought it was a gutsy statement to make, because I felt sure that some of his church members would react negatively to his comments.  And I confess my own apprehensions about security.

But I was also convicted.  I realized that he was speaking from a perspective of Christian love and holiness. And if I truly believe that Jesus is returning, as he promises to do, then we ultimately have nothing to fear!

I need to be clear about my motives for ministry – do I truly love, or do I merely fulfill a legalistic duty?  Blamelessness and holiness involve being truly yielded to the One who is coming.

Lord, help me prepare for Your coming by becoming more loving, blameless and holy in your sight.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"1 Thessalonians 3-12" by New Life Church Collingwood is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for November 29, 2015

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 25:1-10

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm, attributed to David, addresses the issues that a warrior with a checkered past might wish to bring before God.

The first three verses are a statement of faith from a proud man who nonetheless understands that the Lord is the source of his strength:

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.

This is a man whose enemies are not merely figurative, but openly and actively hostile.

He asks for wisdom and guidance in the ways of the Lord:

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.

He reminds the Lord of his mercy and love that have been from of old. His faith is grounded in the history of Israel and Israel’s God.

But this is also a personal prayer.  Without listing his sins, he asks for pardon based not on his own merit but on God’s mercy:

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!

A quick survey of David’s life reveals a man of courage, action and loyalty, but also a man of violence whose sexual indiscretion and subsequent crimes nearly wrecked his life.

As we learn from 2 Samuel 11 & 12, David did repent, and was forgiven.

Finally, it seems fitting to close this particular reading with David’s description of God’s character and benevolence:

Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

This description of God’s love and faithfulness is conditional:

….for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Only those who keep God’s laws will be able to follow God’s paths.

APPLY:  

This is a good model of prayer for the believer, especially in times of uncertainty and even danger.

We are reminded as we read this Psalm in Advent that this season was not originally intended to be merely a season of Christmas lights and early gift shopping.

Advent in the liturgical season was originally intended to be a kind of “Lenten” season.  Just as Lent prepares us for the celebration of Easter resurrection by focusing on self-denial, self-examination and repentance, so Advent was intended to be a time of self-denial, self-examination and repentance in preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.

What better way to prepare for the coming of Christ than to ask for instruction in God’s ways, God’s guidance, and forgiveness of sins?

All that David asks for is delivered in the person and teaching of Jesus.  And as we pray this prayer, we find the same answers in Jesus.

RESPOND: 

Back in the 1970’s when I was a very new Christian many Psalms were put to music and sung as praise songs in worship.  I learned this Psalm first as a praise song and then taught it to my fellow church members when we went on a mission trip to a Heifer Project site near Puebla, Mexico.

[Click here to listen to “Unto Thee, O Lord” on youtube.com]

It was a reminder that I can repent because of the great mercy of God.  I am to trust God in all circumstances. I can seek his guidance above all else.  Although I am accepted by God’s grace for the sake of God’s steadfast love, my growth in grace is conditional on my keeping the demands of the covenant. And the only way that I can keep God’s commands is with his help:

Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation.

Lord, hear this Psalm as my prayer to you – to trust you, to seek your mercy, your guidance, and to become more faithful to your covenant.  Amen

PHOTOS:
 
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Old Testament for November 29, 2015

Start with Scripture:

Jeremiah 33:14-16

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Prophet Jeremiah writes in a time of crisis and disaster, when the Babylonians conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem.  No surprise, then, that he is often called “the Weeping Prophet.”

That background makes this passage all the more poignant.  Though the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and Judah to Babylon in 587 B.C., Jeremiah is reminding the Jews of the promises of God despite the terrible circumstances.

He reminds them of the promise of God that David would have an enduring dynasty in Judah:  

Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16).

Jeremiah uses the same metaphor that Isaiah 11:1 and Zechariah 6:12 use to describe the Messianic descendant of David:

….I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David….

The imagery is suggestive of the branches that grow from the side of a tree or stump in the Spring of the year, during the time of renewal.

This Davidic Messiah will rule as an ideal leader:

….and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Even more significantly, this Messiah will save his people in Judah and Jerusalem.  The name of this Branch will be called

“The Lord is our righteousness.”

This title has definite Messianic connotations that point to a role exceeding a mere human king.

APPLY:  

For Christians, this passage has long been viewed as a messianic prophecy about the first coming of Christ, with a nod to the second coming.  This promise is about hope and not doom and gloom.

The designation of Jesus as the righteous branch means that he is a descendant of David, fulfilling the ancient prophecy about the Davidic dynasty. But his mission is not only to Judah and Jerusalem, but to all of us.

St. Augustine once said that

The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed;
the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

John Wesley has a sermon entitled “The Lord Our Righteousness” in which he points out that the Righteousness that saves us comes from Christ alone.  This Righteousness pardons our sins and gives us power over sin.

Paul speaks for us all when he speaks of  salvation

….that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith (Philippians 3:9).

RESPOND: 

This prophecy speaks to us and for us in this Advent season.  The promises of God are for us!  Jesus is our righteousness.

Lord, I have no righteousness of my own. I am completely dependent on your grace and your righteousness.  Thank you for this undeserved gift!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
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