Second Sunday of Easter

Gospel for April 7, 2024

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 20:19-31
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage provides a framework for the transition from the very first eyewitnesses to those whose witness will only be with the eyes of faith.

Jesus appears the very evening of his resurrection, when the disciples are huddled together in fear in a locked room. This illustrates his ability to appear and to disappear at will with this transformed and glorified resurrection body.

Nevertheless, he demonstrates that his is a bodily resurrection, and that he is the same Jesus who was crucified, as he shows them his scarred hands and side.

He greets them with the traditional “Shalom” of the ancient Jewish culture:

Peace be to you.

However, in this context it certainly has a deeper meaning for these frightened followers. They greet these words and signs with joy.

Next, there is the Johannine version of a kind of Pentecost, as Jesus commissions them to be sent in his name, and then empowers them for ministry as he breathes the Holy Spirit into them. And to them is entrusted the awesome authority to forgive sins in his name, much as Peter was given that authority in the Synoptic Gospels after his insight that Jesus was the Christ. The difference of course is that in the Synoptic Gospels, Peter has this realization before the resurrection. (Matthew, Mark and Luke are called Synoptic because they can often be “seen together” with frequent parallels and similarities.)

The disciples immediately begin to fulfill the commission of Jesus. Some of the disciples reach out to Thomas, who wasn’t present in the Upper Room that evening. They bear witness to what they have experienced:

We have seen the Lord!

And here is where Thomas (his Aramaic name), aka Didymus (the Greek version of his name) gets his unfortunate nickname — Doubting Thomas. He cannot believe unless he sees the scars on Jesus’ hands and side for himself.

We don’t really know for sure why Thomas is called “The Twin,” other than the obvious fact that he may have had a twin brother or sister. Is it an oblique reference to being “double-minded” perhaps?

Nor do we know why he isn’t with the other disciples on that first night. Is he absent because he is grieving alone?

We do know that Thomas is no coward. Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, when the sisters of Lazarus summon Jesus to the bedside of their dying brother, Jesus declares he will go to Bethany. The other disciples attempt to deter Jesus, declaring that his enemies seek his life in Judea. But it is Thomas who says:

Let’s go also, that we may die with him. (John 11:16).

But we also have a foreshadowing of his questioning nature in John 14:1-7. Jesus has promised his disciples that he will not leave them orphaned, that he is going to prepare a place for them, and that they know the way to the place where he is going. Thomas, who is empirically minded and prone to thinking in very concrete, literal terms, says:

Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way? (John 14:5).

And this question sets up one of the most profound statements in all of Scripture. Jesus answers:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him, and have seen him (John 14:6-7).

Now Thomas is singled out for a unique, if dubious, honor. Jesus appears yet again among the disciples a week after the resurrection. This time Thomas is among them. And Jesus offers to show Thomas his hands and his side to provide proof that he is the crucified and risen Lord. And Jesus commands him:

Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.

Thomas is among the very first in this post resurrection appearance to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus in his short but powerful declaration of faith:

My Lord and my God!

There seems no doubt to Thomas now that Jesus is not only risen from the dead, but that this event discloses his true nature as God and man.

Jesus gently reproaches Thomas for his lack of faith that required such dramatic proof, and praises those who will not have that luxury:

Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.

John adds his own editorial comment — that the purpose of this account in the Gospel is to provide witness to those who have not seen and yet have believed. He is making it quite clear that this is the purpose of his writing. He notes that Jesus did many more deeds than he can possibly record, but that the purpose of the Gospel is so that those who read it:

may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

APPLY:

This account of “doubting Thomas” isn’t meant to cast aspersions on this questioning disciple. In a sense, Thomas may speak for many in our skeptical age who are seeking proof.

Ultimately, however, the response that brings true blessing is faith that is imparted by the Holy Spirit — the very Holy Spirit that Jesus himself imparts to the disciples and to us. We are reminded from the Scriptures that the righteous will live by faith, and also that:

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6).

We don’t believe because we see; we see because we believe. That is the gift which the Holy Spirit imparts.

RESPOND:

I identify closely with Thomas, not only as my namesake, but also simply because of my own questions and occasional “dark nights of the soul.”

There are significant moments in my own faith development — the traditions I’ve been taught, reinforced by the certainty that existence and creation itself is impossible without a Mind that brought order to chaos.

In that thought I find the beauty of the Prologue to John 1:1-3:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

And I can rationally draw the conclusion that only something as dramatic as the resurrection could possibly have transformed those craven, cowering disciples into the bold missionaries willing to stand up to the persecutions of the Sanhedrin and the Roman authorities.

But the mystery of faith in the Risen Christ comes only through the experience of an inner witness from the Holy Spirit. In that sense, like all who have not seen and yet have believed, I count myself among those who are blessed with the gift of faith, knowing that even when my faith is weak, Jesus Christ is strong.

Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief! Though I cannot place my fingers in the scars on your hands, nor my hand in your side, I nevertheless am convinced in my heart that the only thing that explains the existence of hope and meaning and love in my life is your Presence. Thank you for that life that begins now and continues forever! Amen.

PHOTOS:
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Epistle for April 7, 2024

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 John 1:1-2:2
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This epistle is obviously written by the same hand and with the same mind as the writer of the Gospel of John. It is profoundly Christ centered, and lifts up many of the same themes introduced in The Prologue to John in the first chapter of the Gospel:

The incarnation of the Word of life.
His identification with life and eternal life.
The identification of God with light, and his power over darkness.
And above all the purifying power of the atoning death and blood of Jesus Christ.

John writes of Jesus as the one who has been seen and touched — he is no “myth,” no mere “idea;” he doesn’t merely “appear” to be real, as one early heresy known as Docetism claimed. No, Jesus is the incarnate Word of life. This reality, that God has become a human being, is the basis of true fellowship of the Son with the Father, and the Christian communities’ fellowship with one another and God.

John also insists on moral purity as the result of what happens when we walk in the light. This is no cheap grace. The believer cannot claim to be in relationship with God if they are intentionally and habitually walking in darkness — i.e., sin. But walking in the light of Christ in and of itself continues the process of purifying the believer from sin.

However, John recognizes the reality and the difficulty of overcoming sin. He makes it clear that no one can claim to have been sin-free. That is self-deception. Moreover, the power to deal with sin is conferred by God when the sinner confesses sin. Then God forgives sin, because it has been brought into the light — and God not only forgives, but also purifies the believer from all sin.

Finally, John makes clear where this source of power over sin is derived. The power to overcome sin rests with God, not human beings. Moreover, that is the very purpose that Christ has come into the world — to be the Counselor (also translated Advocate) on behalf of the sinner, interceding with the Father. Through the Son’s atoning sacrifice he removes all sin.

The term Advocate suggests a courtroom metaphor, that Christ becomes the defense attorney for the accused sinner — but the atoning sacrifice also reminds us of the sacrifice of life for life established by the sacrificial system from Exodus and Leviticus. Jesus is therefore an advocate for the sinner and the substitute for sins.

APPLY:

This passage is full of life and light and hope for us. On the one hand, this passage is realistic about our sinful nature. On the other it is supremely optimistic about God’s power to overcome that sinful nature.

First the bad news — We can’t deny our sin without deceiving ourselves and others. Nor can we do anything about it by wishing it away, or by our own moral effort.

We must come to terms with our sin, and confess it to ourselves, to one another (see the Epistle of James 5:16), and to God. Only by bringing our brokenness into the presence of God can the Great Physician heal our sin — because only then do we recognize our helplessness to heal ourselves, and cease from the futile efforts of self-help. Obviously, God knows our sin before we do — but by confessing our sin, we are able to turn the redemptive work over to him.

The famous Twelve Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous recognizes this important principle in their first step:

We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.

But now the good news — God in Christ has taken on human form as the Word of life and lived among us; he has become our Advocate, and our atoning sacrifice. And through him we are not only pardoned from the consequences of sin, we are also purified from sin.

In my tradition this is called justification (pardon from sin) and sanctification (purification from sin). What God has done for us he also does in us. Or, as the wife in the film Junebug says to her exasperated, out of control husband:

God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

And all of this is grounded in what Christ Jesus has done for us!

RESPOND:

I used to drive past a church with a marquee sign that sometimes had pretty good theological insight. During Holy Week one year, I passed this church several times, and noted the words:

Holiness is not the way to Jesus. Jesus is the way to holiness.

I couldn’t say it any better than that! If I try to be perfect or righteous or even good in my own strength, I end up frustrated and perfectionist and legalistic. And all my righteousness, as the book of Romans and Galatians reminds me, is insufficient to attain justification. But Jesus both pardons me and purifies me from sin. Only his righteousness is sufficient to make me right with God.

I believe this is an ongoing process. I’ve certainly not “arrived” in any sense of the word. But I trust that God will finish what he’s started in me. As Philippians 1:6 says:

he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Our Lord, thank you that I have an advocate and an atoning sacrifice for my sins, and that you continue the process of purifying me. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. Amen.

 PHOTOS:
“1 John 1:5-7” by WC Ferrell is licensed under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication license.

Psalm Reading for April 7, 2024

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 133
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Psalm 133 describes brotherly unity as a great blessing.

This Psalm is described as A Song of Ascents. These were Psalms that were sung by pilgrims as they approached Jerusalem during the three great festivals of the Hebrew liturgical year.

Attributed to King David, this psalm is also regarded as a Wisdom Psalm. In the Hebrew Bible, Wisdom literature includes the Book of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, part of Daniel, and several of the Psalms. Wisdom literature is devoted to advice about how a wise person can live well and succeed in harmony with God’s laws and wisdom.

The metaphors that are used to illustrate this unity may seem both beautiful and perplexing to us. The precious oil poured out on Aaron’s head down his beard, and over his collar suggests a sense of abundance. But is this reference to Aaron made because the High Priest in Israel is a symbol of the glue that holds the community together? Is the religious ritual of the priestly role a bonding agent that creates this sense of unity?

It may be useful to note that not only is the precious oil considered useful in biblical culture for healing and cleansing, it is also used in anointing men for the roles of prophet, priest and king.

The other metaphor the Psalmist uses evokes a sense of refreshment — the dew of Mt. Hermon. Mt. Hermon is between modern Syria and Israel, and is the highest mountain in the region, at over 9,232 feet. It would be cool, especially for someone climbing to such heights in a hot, dry climate. For the dew to fall on Mt. Zion, in the central Judean highlands, suggests a refreshing blessing.

More significantly, though, the Psalmist maintains the sense of unity — Mt. Hermon, the northernmost point of Israel is identified with the geographical, religious and political center of Israel at Mt. Zion (aka Jerusalem).

The blessing that is bestowed is life forevermore.

David is the king of two kingdoms — Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Mt. Hermon may represent the Northern Kingdom, and Mt. Zion may represent Judah. No doubt David is celebrating the beauty of unity as a means of unifying these two kingdoms.

APPLY:

Unity and harmony are indeed great blessings; but they are exceedingly rare in our polarized culture and world. Not only are we divided by race, culture, and politics, but Christians are also divided by doctrinal differences; and even within denominations we find serious divisions today.

On those rare occasions when we do find cause for unity, it indeed feels like abundance and refreshment.

We must find ways to focus on those things that unite us rather than divide us whenever possible. But even when we cannot agree, we must still ‘speak the truth in love’ (cf. Ephesians 4:15) without compromising our integrity.

RESPOND:

I grew up as an Air Force brat, the son of an Air Force Chaplain. I honestly didn’t realize that there were serious differences between Christian denominations until I became a serious Christian myself in my young adulthood.

I knew that there were “Protestants” and “Catholics” because we had two different chapel services. But I also knew that the same space was used for worship by both groups — the same altar, and even the same cross. Even more fascinating — on one side of the cross were the letters “IHS” (common on many Protestant crosses), and on the other side was the “Corpus Christi” (a representation of the body of Christ). So it struck me very early that though we worshiped at different times, we still worshiped the same Lord.

My prayer is that we will continue to find unity in Christ as Christians from every denomination.

Lord, may we be united in our worship of you as our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

PHOTOS:

"Psalm 133" is in the public domain.

Reading from Acts for April 7, 2024

“SHARING” by Aaron Concannon.
“All the believers were one in heart and mind….They shared everything they had.” Acts 4:32

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Acts 4:32-35
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a description of the early church in the very first months and years after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It is bracketed on either side with accounts of the healings accomplished by Peter and the other apostles, persecution by the Sanhedrin, and discipline of the miscreant church members Ananias and Sapphira.

Actually, in Acts 2:42-47 there is a more detailed description that covers their activities far more completely.

Here in Acts 4:32-35 the focus is on the early stages of “communalism,” not to be confused with communism. They seem to share all of their possessions generously and in common. Note, though, that this claim follows a far more important condition:

The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul.

Sharing all things in common was predicated on a sense of unity in love (heart) and doctrine (mind).

The doctrinal message, called the kerygma, was simple and direct:

With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all.

This preaching was made effective by the power of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised in Acts 1:8, and completed in Acts 2.

There is even a word about the practical application of their “communalism” — there were no needy persons among them because any who had money brought it to the apostles to be distributed among the needy in the Christian community.

APPLY:

In the Western church, this passage may raise hackles if we take the Scripture seriously and apply it rigorously.

We like the sentiment of being one heart and soul. We like the thought of proclaiming the Gospel with great power! We thrill at the thought of the grace of God powerfully at work in us all!

But selling our property and giving the money to the church to be distributed to the needy? Hold on just a second! What about private property!? Are we advocating some kind of communism?!

Obviously, two thousand years of Christian history, the rise of the “dismal science” of economics, the rise of the middle class, the struggles of capitalism and communism, have all influenced our contemporary reading of this passage.

To many of us, this description of the early church may even sound like a cult. It should be pointed out that there have been Christian communities that have experimented with just this kind of model of communal ownership — monasteries, Christian communes like Koinonia Farms and others.

Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, many such experiments have dissolved in failure because of human greed and suspicion.

Can we have the unity of heart and soul, the power of apostolic preaching, the power of the grace of God without this sense of mutual sharing and generosity?

Obviously, we can’t recreate the conditions that prevailed in the early church, but perhaps we can at least recognize some central Biblical principles:

God is the creator and owner of everything. We don’t own anything, we simply manage it as stewards on God’s behalf.
We are to be faithful stewards of all we have received, which means generous sharing of all of the resources with which we are entrusted by God.
When it comes to the common resources of the church, we are to be reminded that nobody has “turf,” that we are not to claim any possessions or property as our own, but share with all.

RESPOND:

I don’t know how I would fare with the kind of “communalism” that seemed to prevail in the early church. On the one hand, I idealize it and think “wouldn’t it be wonderful to share everything the way they seemed to?” But the realist in me recognizes that there is more than just a little Ananias and Sapphira in most of us — that we tend to hold back.

I do know this — when it comes to our church buildings, even Sunday School classes and other groups in the church can be terribly possessive. When I was a pastor, I had to remind some church members from time to time that the early church would say that:

Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

May I practice the kind of unity of heart and soul, bold proclamation of the Gospel, and generosity that I see exemplified in the Acts 4 church!

Lord, bring unity to each church in your kingdom, and give us boldness to preach the Gospel; and may we be as generous as our spiritual forbearers have been! Amen.

 PHOTOS:
“Sharing” by Aaron Concannon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for April 16, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 20:19-31
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage provides a framework for the transition from the very first eyewitnesses to those whose witness will only be with the eyes of faith.

Nevertheless, he demonstrates that his is a bodily resurrection, and that he is the same Jesus who was crucified, as he shows them his scarred hands and side.

He greets them with the traditional “Shalom” of the ancient Jewish culture:

Peace be to you.

However, in this context it certainly has a deeper meaning for these frightened followers. They greet these words and signs with joy.

We have seen the Lord!

Nor do we know why he isn’t with the other disciples on that first night. Is he absent because he is grieving alone?

Let’s go also, that we may die with him. (John 11:16).

Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way? (John 14:5).

And this question sets up one of the most profound statements in all of Scripture. Jesus answers:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him, and have seen him (John 14:6-7).

Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.

Thomas is among the very first in this post resurrection appearance to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus in his short but powerful declaration of faith:

My Lord and my God!

There seems no doubt to Thomas now that Jesus is not only risen from the dead, but that this event discloses his true nature as God and man.

Jesus gently reproaches Thomas for his lack of faith that required such dramatic proof, and praises those who will not have that luxury:

Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.

may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

APPLY:

This account of “doubting Thomas” isn’t meant to cast aspersions on this questioning disciple. In a sense, Thomas may speak for many in our skeptical age who are seeking proof.

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6).

We don’t believe because we see; we see because we believe. That is the gift which the Holy Spirit imparts.

RESPOND:

I identify closely with Thomas, not only as my namesake, but also simply because of my own questions and occasional “dark nights of the soul.”

In that thought I find the beauty of the Prologue to John 1:1-3:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

PHOTOS:
Background photo for “We don't believe because we see...”:
 "Fog" by Josh*m is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for April 16, 2023

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

OBSERVE:

Although Peter never personally wrote a Gospel, and was not as prolific a writer as Paul, the two epistles in his name in the New Testament are extremely valuable. They reveal the doctrine and faith of an Apostle who had actually spent time with Jesus as one of his closest friends and confidants.

Peter is writing this letter to the Christians who have been scattered by persecution and perhaps economic necessity, whom he calls:

the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1).

He begins with the praise of God for his great salvation event:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Peter is careful to maintain the distinction between God the Father and God the Son, but also acknowledges that both are divine. Although the careful formulations of the doctrine of the Trinity are still three centuries away, they are foreshadowed by Peter along with other writers in the New Testament.

For example, it is Jesus who consistently referred to his Father, and who is called my beloved Son in his baptism and at his Transfiguration by God the Father (e.g., Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17). This is a uniquely intimate title for the Almighty Creator of the universe!

And Peter refers to Jesus as Lord. The word Lord in Greek is Kyrie; and in Hebrew it is Adonai. In ancient Judaism, the most holy name of God in the Hebrew language is Yahweh. In order to avoid profaning that name, they substituted Adonai, which means Lord. For Peter, Jesus is no mere rabbi or prophet. He is Lord and he is God!

What is most astonishing is the great news that Peter shares — that because of the resurrection of Jesus, God has become the Father of those who believe! The Greek phrase in verse 3 actually alludes to those who are born again to a living hope. As with the Apostle John who also heard Jesus’ teaching, Peter is very familiar with the concept of the new birth. This new birth is initiated by faith in the resurrected Christ. Because of God’s great mercy, believers are born again to a living hope, and:

to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Once again, we have that persistent theme of the “now” and the “not yet” that occurs throughout the New Testament. Believers are guarded through faith now by the power of God, but they are also awaiting the inheritance in Heaven that will not fade, and will be revealed in the last time. This is the eschatological hope that is never very far away in the New Testament — God’s kingdom is coming!

Peter summons the dispersed Christians to rejoice, but tempers that joy with realism. He realizes that they are suffering persecution as a minority faith in their far-flung Dispersion, but he makes three important claims about their trials:

First, their grief in various trials is temporary — for a little while. This is the same claim that Paul makes in Romans 8:18:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
Second, he suggests that their sufferings are like the fire that tempers and proves their faith:
the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire…
Even gold may be destroyed in fire, but the faith that endures the fire is far more valuable, and will not perish.
Third, this temporary suffering, which tempers their faith like a refining fire, has a blessed result:
…in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And Peter seems to marvel that though these Christians in the Dispersion never knew Jesus in the flesh as he did, yet they love Jesus; and though they don’t see him, they believe. The result of this love and faith is salvation:

whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory— receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

APPLY:

The Scriptures aren’t sugar-coated. Efforts to remake the Gospel into a recipe for prosperity fail to take it seriously.

The Apostles were realistic about the fallen nature of the world, the hostility of the culture around them, and the sufferings that Christians would endure. They had heard Jesus tell them these things, and they had witnessed his sufferings. And they had plenty of personal experience of their own. And they warned the church that suffering and trials will occur.

But they also offered the real hope that comes from faith in the risen Jesus. Yes, Jesus suffered the agony of the cross; but that suffering was overshadowed by his resurrection.

And this is our hope as well. The now of our existence may have its share of blessings and success, and yes, even prosperity; however, it is also always at risk because of suffering, loss, and in some places in the world, real persecution. The not yet, is guaranteed not by our achievements or work-ethic or merit, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. This is the source of our hope:

a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

RESPOND:

On Good Friday, I received a phone call. My friend has cancer, and will have surgery in just a few weeks.

She confessed that her initial reaction was pretty dark. All the fears came rushing in to her mind. But her faith in the God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ came shining through. She trusts in the promises revealed in Scripture, and confirmed in her faith.

She isn’t naive. She believes she will be declared cancer-free. But if not, she is prepared for the radiation and/or chemotherapy that may be required. And if that doesn’t work, she is prepared to die — although she joked that her husband wasn’t ready for that. He wouldn’t have a clue about how to start dating again at his age!

I thought it was appropriate that we were talking about all of this on Good Friday. The cross of Jesus reminds us that he knows what it is to suffer, that there is nothing we can endure that he doesn’t understand. What that means to me is that God has been where we are, no matter what we go through.

We have been given in Christ the proof of our faith:

which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, [and] may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Lord, I thank you for the whole story of the Gospel — not only the sufferings but also the resurrection and the new life. I know the trials will come; for some of us those trials are already here. But I also trust that you will see us through them. Thank you! Amen.

PHOTOS:
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Psalm Reading for April 16, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 16
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm is called a Miktam of David. Unfortunately, the meaning of Miktam is a little elusive. There are a collection of Psalms that share this inscription — Psalms 56 through 60. In some translations, miktam is translated To the Chief Musician, as though it provides instructions for how it is to be sung or accompanied. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible suggests that miktam has an ancient Akkadian etymology that means to cover, which would suggest the metaphor of covering sin, or expiation.

In this Psalm, David is asking for God’s protection, and confessing that he has no other source of hope:

My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.
Apart from you I have no good thing.”

He then draws a stark contrast between the saints in whom David delights and those who offer false worship to false gods:

As for the saints who are in the earth,
they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.
Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god.

The next verse provides evidence of a violation of Levitical kosher laws:

Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
nor take their names on my lips.

Kosher laws have to do with foods that are prepared according to Jewish law. Leviticus 17 is quite clear about prohibitions against consuming blood, and the rationale behind it:

Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who eats any kind of blood, I will set my face against that soul who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life. Therefore I have said to the children of Israel, “No person among you may eat blood, nor may any stranger who lives as a foreigner among you eat blood” (Leviticus 17:10-12).

Because of the life that is in the blood, it is a sacred thing that is offered in the sacrifice of bulls and lambs for the expiation of sins.

When New Testament authors speak of the atoning power of blood, they speak of the blood of Jesus as our sacrifice:

whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance (Romans 3:25).

The drinking of the blood of sacrifices at pagan rituals was regarded as an act of great offense to the sacrificial blood offered to God.

David transitions neatly away from the imagery of drinking blood to another metaphor very similar:

Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup.

Yahweh’s cup is far more fulfilling.

David goes on to describe the blessings that Yahweh has offered. These are manifold:

David describes the allotment of land that has been granted — not only to him but to all the Israelites, with land and inheritance:
You made my lot secure.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
Yahweh provides counsel:
my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
Yahweh provides guidance and strength:
Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Emotionally and physically God provides happiness and safety:
Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices.
My body shall also dwell in safety.

The “good life” of Shalom (peace, security, wholeness) is holistic, involving body, soul and mind.

And then we have a foreshadowing of the promise of eternal life that is revealed in the New Testament:

For you will not leave my soul in Sheol,
neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

Sheol is the shadowy place of the dead. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology says that:

Sheol is devoid of love, hate, envy, work, thought, knowledge, and wisdom (Ecclesiastes 9:6; Ecclesiastes 9:10). Descriptions are bleak: There is no light (Job 10:21-22; 17:13; Psalms 88:6; Psalms 88:12; 143:3), no remembrance (Psalm 6:5; 88:12; Eccl 9:5), no praise of God (Psalm 6:5 ; 30:9; 88:10-12; 115:17; Isa 38:18) in fact, no sound at all (Psalm 94:17; 115:17). Its inhabitants are weak, trembling shades (Job 26:5; Psalm 88:10-12; Isa 14:9-10) who can never hope to escape from its gates (Job 10:21; 17:13-16; Isa 38:10). Sheol is like a ravenous beast that swallows the living without being sated (Prov 1:1; 27:20; Isa 5:14). Some thought the dead were cut off from God (Psalm 88:3-5; Isa 38:11); while others believed that God’s presence reached even to Sheol (Psalm 139:8).

The promise to the holy one, however, is deliverance even from the decaying effects of death.

David completes this Psalm with a triumphant expression of praise and thanksgiving to Yahweh, who provides guidance, eternal pleasures, and best of all, his presence:

You will show me the path of life.
In your presence is fullness of joy.
In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.

APPLY:

It shouldn’t escape notice that Psalm 16 is quoted by Peter in his famous Pentecost sermon (click here for the SOAR on this week’s lectionary reading from Acts 2:14a, 22-32). Peter quotes this section, with a slightly different translation of Psalm 16:8-11:

I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence (Acts 2:25-28).

The message of Psalm 16 is that the soul that finds its solace and hope in God alone will be secure — protection in this life, the enjoyment of what God apportions out, and even life eternal.

Peter, however, points out that the ultimate gift of life and salvation is secured by Jesus alone. These words from Psalm 16, he says, can really only apply originally to Jesus. And because of our faith in Jesus, we also enjoy:

A good inheritance.
Godly counsel and instruction even in the night seasons, the “dark nights of the soul.”
Protection from God.
A glad heart, a joyful tongue, and a safe body.
Deliverance from Sheol
Guidance on the path of life, the presence of God which brings fullness of joy, and pleasures forever more.

RESPOND:

John Wesley was an Anglican cleric who preached the Gospel to thousands throughout Britain and Ireland, and founded the United Societies that eventually became the Methodist Church. He rode by horse when he was young, by carriage as he grew old, and traveled thousands of miles — incurring persecution along the way. In all of it, he was an apostle of grace, love, and, yes, spiritual discipline.

When Wesley was 87 years old, he lay dying. But some of his last words were these:

The best of all is, God is with us!

These are fitting words for any servant of God, and reflect the words of the Psalmist:

In your presence is fullness of joy.

Our Lord, we find all of our good and our blessing in you — security, pleasant places, good inheritance, counsel, gladness, safety, and ultimately eternal life and fullness of joy. Thank you for the goodness of life that you provide, now and forever. Amen.

PHOTOS:

"God is the Highest Good (Psalm 16:11)" by Redeemed by His (Christ) Grace is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Reading from Acts for April 16, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This lectionary passage from Acts seems a little early in the Easter season. It includes excerpts from the account of the day of Pentecost, which is actually 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus.

However, it will soon become apparent why this passage is chosen for this Sunday — Acts 2 includes the first post-resurrection sermon in the early church, delivered by the Apostle Peter.

What has happened between the resurrection of Jesus and this event 50 days later? Jesus has appeared to his disciples on multiple occasions, according to the four Gospels. He has met them in Galilee as well as near Jerusalem in Judea. And he has returned to the Father in the ascension.

After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the disciples gathered together in Jerusalem, presumably in the same upper room where Jesus had celebrated the Passover meal with them prior to his arrest.

The phenomena of the coming of the Holy Spirit are recorded here — the gathering of the disciples in one place, the violent wind, the tongues of fire, and the power to speak in tongues as empowered by the Spirit. But the focus of this week’s passage is Peter’s sermon.

Peter neatly sums up the life and ministry of Jesus, his death on the cross, and his resurrection. He assumes that all of this is common knowledge, but also provides interpretation of the events:

Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

We note that Peter is speaking as a Jew to fellow Jews, about a Jew from Nazareth. What makes Jesus unique is that his miracles, wonders and signs were proof of his accreditation from God. Peter is defying the claims of Jesus’ accusers that Jesus was a fraud.

What is fascinating about this passage is Peter’s theological interpretation of the events. They were no accident. Jesus was handed over by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge. The early church was convinced that God had anticipated the sin of humanity with his own divine plan for redemption from even before the dawn of human history. Peter writes in his own epistle, years after the events of Pentecost, that those who call on God are redeemed:

with precious blood, as of a faultless and pure lamb, the blood of Christ; who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of times for your sake (1 Peter 1:19-20).

Peter provides evidence that God has foreknown his plan for salvation by quoting an ancient text from the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 16:8-11.

But before he quotes Psalm 16, he finishes his descriptions of the death and resurrection of Jesus. He accuses those who are hearing his words that day of complicity in the death of Jesus, who join with wicked men who put Jesus to death by nailing him to the cross! While God’s plan for salvation was deliberate and foreknown, those who complied in the death of Jesus did so of their own free will.

Nevertheless, because Jesus is Lord and God, his death wasn’t final:

God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

The language Peter uses suggests that Jesus’ death wasn’t a descent into nothingness. Death itself is described here as something that goes on tormenting him, and holds him almost the way a predator might grasp its prey. The word translated agony is the Greek word odin. It is a word usually associated with the pains of a woman in labor. Its most common usage in the New Testament describes the birth pangs of the coming eschatological age of the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 13:8; Matthew 24:8; Romans 8:22). The death of Jesus becomes a kind of birth into resurrection and life!

Death could not keep its hold on him because it was impossible!

As mentioned earlier, Peter finds proof of God’s plan in Psalm 16. He is connecting his Jewish audience to their own Scriptures. Though he quotes David as the writer of the Psalm, the first-person narrator of the Psalm is the Messiah:

David said about him:
‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

Clearly, for Peter the holy one who descends to the realm of the dead yet doesn’t decay is Jesus.

Peter further proves his point that this Psalm is not about David by reminding them that David not only died and was buried, they could visit his tomb in Jerusalem where his body was still interred! Nevertheless, Peter attests to the prophetic powers of David:

Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.

Peter is asserting that the dynastic prophecies of the house of David —that he would always have a descendant on the throne — were perfectly fulfilled in Jesus (cf 2 Samuel 20:16). He apparently takes it for granted that his audience is aware of Jesus’ credentials as a descendant of David.

Therefore, Peter asserts, the words of the Psalm are obviously about Jesus:

Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.

But there is one more, irrefutable evidence of the Messianic nature of Jesus:

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it [emphasis mine].

Peter himself had encountered the risen Jesus in Galilee and in Judea. And he wasn’t alone. As the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians:

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

APPLY:

There are two levels on which this first apostolic sermon applies to us.

First of all, we can see ourselves addressed by Peter’s words as we identify with those who hear him that day on Pentecost. Peter is speaking directly to them — and to us:

This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

No, we weren’t literally there, participating in the crucifixion of Jesus. But it can be argued, neither were the thousands who heard Peter speak. However, what Peter is saying of them is also true of us — we are complicit in the suffering of Jesus because of our sins.

And, we may add, by faith we can also identify with what Peter says a little later in his message:

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

By faith, we have also experienced the risen Christ, have we not? Therefore, this sermon speaks to us just as it did to the multitude gathered there that day.

There is a second application also — Peter’s sermon may give us some guidance as we seek to evangelize others today. Peter begins by summing up who Jesus is and what Jesus has done — he is accredited by God because of his mighty works; he has been betrayed and crucified; and he has been raised to life. This is the summary of Jesus’ life and ministry that is at the heart of the Gospel that we find suggested in other passages — for example, John 3:16, or 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

When preaching or evangelizing, we do well to offer a concise summary of the Gospel message. We can elaborate and explain later, at great length if necessary.

Peter then offers evidence to this particular audience that he knows they will accept — the Scriptures. He quotes from Psalm 16 to offer proof of the resurrection, as prophesied by David.

Now, for those who may come from a “religious” background, this may be effective. We will find later that Paul is a far more effective evangelist to the Greeks and the Gentiles because he finds other points of contact.

This is not to minimize the value of Scripture at all. It is the revealed Word of God. However, before a secularist non-Christian will hear it, other sources of evidence must be used to convince them — nature, human experience, etc. After they become convinced, then they will listen to what the Scriptures attest.

But there is one source of evidence that is difficult to disprove — personal experience. Peter claims:

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

The Christian who can claim that they have experienced the living Christ in their own lives, and whose life is consistent with their testimony, is difficult to refute.

There is a famous quote that has been attributed to William J. Toms (1791 – 1883) an Australian farmer and Methodist leader:

Be careful how you live; you will be the only Bible some people ever read.

RESPOND:

When I read the events recorded in the Scripture, I try to identify with what is being written as closely as I can; and I use my imagination to try and place myself in the narrative sections.

Peter actually encourages me to do so in this passage. He tells me I am complicit in the death of Jesus; and I am a witness, by faith, of the risen Jesus! This makes my faith come alive!

I am reminded of the great hymn that poses the question — Were You There?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?

The answer is that by the participation and identification of faith, yes we were!

Lord, thank you that the story of salvation is still just as new to me today as it was to the first disciples; and thank you for the privilege of sharing that story with others. Amen.

PHOTOS:
"St Peter Preaching in the Presence of St Mark" by Fra Angelico is in the public domain.

Gospel for April 24, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 20:19-31
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage provides a framework for the transition from the very first eyewitnesses to those whose witness will only be with the eyes of faith.

Nevertheless, he demonstrates that his is a bodily resurrection, and that he is the same Jesus who was crucified, as he shows them his scarred hands and side.

He greets them with the traditional “Shalom” of the ancient Jewish culture:

Peace be to you.

However, in this context it certainly has a deeper meaning for these frightened followers. They greet these words and signs with joy.

We have seen the Lord!

Nor do we know why he isn’t with the other disciples on that first night. Is he absent because he is grieving alone?

Let’s go also, that we may die with him. (John 11:16).

Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way? (John 14:5).

And this question sets up one of the most profound statements in all of Scripture. Jesus answers:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him, and have seen him (John 14:6-7).

Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.

Thomas is among the very first in this post resurrection appearance to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus in his short but powerful declaration of faith:

My Lord and my God!

There seems no doubt to Thomas now that Jesus is not only risen from the dead, but that this event discloses his true nature as God and man.

Jesus gently reproaches Thomas for his lack of faith that required such dramatic proof, and praises those who will not have that luxury:

Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.

may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

APPLY:

This account of “doubting Thomas” isn’t meant to cast aspersions on this questioning disciple. In a sense, Thomas may speak for many in our skeptical age who are seeking proof.

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6).

We don’t believe because we see; we see because we believe. That is the gift which the Holy Spirit imparts.

RESPOND:

I identify closely with Thomas, not only as my namesake, but also simply because of my own questions and occasional “dark nights of the soul.”

In that thought I find the beauty of the Prologue to John 1:1-3:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

PHOTOS:
Background photo for “We don't believe because we see...”:
 "Fog" by Josh*m is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for April 24, 2022

Alpha and Omega Symbol
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 1:4-8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Book of Revelation is without a doubt the most disputed and controversial book in the entire Bible. Delving into this passage alone could take us several different directions, and require pages and pages of research.

Just a few words of background. John, writing in exile from the Island of Patmos, is conveying his visions to the Seven Churches of Asia — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

The greeting begins in a way typical of other epistles in the New Testament:

Grace and peace to you…

And then John introduces his own Trinitarian greeting:

from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

The greeting grace and peace comes from all three persons that we have come to know as the Trinity. This is a Trinitarian passage, without ever using the term, Trinity.

The Father is he:

who is, and who was, and who is to come.

We can’t help but think of Moses’ encounter with the burning bush on Mount Sinai, when the Lord discloses his name and nature:

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

God is the eternal one, who transcends time and space, for whom the present moment encompasses past, present and future.

I am in agreement with commentators who believe that the seven spirits before his throne is a reference to the Holy Spirit, although there are some commentators who argue that these seven spirits refer instead to angels. My conviction is strengthened by John’s elaborate descriptions of the heavenly throne room, when he says that:

In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God (Revelations 4:5).

A variant translation of seven spirits is the Sevenfold Spirit.

In the third place, John turns his attention to Jesus:

and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Jesus is the faithful witness in his earthly ministry through his life and teaching. But we are also reminded that the Greek word for witness is the word we translate as martyr. That has the connotations of sacrificial death because the witnesses in the early church so often died for their faith. Jesus was the first witness and the first martyr.

But John also points to the resurrection of Jesus as the firstborn from the dead. This is language reminiscent of Colossians, where Jesus is called:

the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15)

and also

the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything (Colossians 1:18).

Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God and the Second Person of the Trinity, begotten not made from before time began; but he is also the Son of Man, whose physical suffering and death and subsequent resurrection opens the possibility of resurrection for all who die.

And John also reminds us that Jesus is King:

the ruler of the kings of the earth.

John elaborates on this as he begins to explore what this means for those who believe:

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

Jesus is our sacrifice, who liberates us from the slavery and bondage of sin. But he also exalts us to be citizens of his kingdom and to offer ministry to God in his eternal temple. We are reminded of 1 Peter 2:9:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This is part of the inspiration for the Reformation doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers.

John makes clear that the arc of Jesus’ ministry as king takes him from the cross to the grave to the ascension and the reign at the right hand of the Father, and will be consummated with his return at the end of the age:

“Look, he is coming with the clouds”

Unfortunately, what is good news to those who believe may be bad news for those who do not:

“every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

Finally, The Lord defines his character yet again:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Alpha and Omega, of course, are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, indicating that God is the beginning and the end — from God all things begin, and in God all things find their consummation.

And he is the one who transcends all time, the all-powerful one.

APPLY:

In this text for Easter season, we are reminded that Christ is the one who has been pierced for our iniquities, and he is:

the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

This image of the firstborn has deep resonance in the Old Testament. The firstborn were consecrated to God as a representative offering, holy to the Lord — although of course human firstborns were redeemed by the sacrifice of a firstborn animal.

The Apostle Paul says:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family (Romans 8:29).

As we identify with Christ, he becomes our firstborn older brother who opens the way for all of us to experience resurrection. Paul also says of Christ:

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything (Colossians 1:18)

Our salvation is a process — first there is the forgiveness of sins, effected through Christ’s atoning death on the cross. Christ is he who:

loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…

And his ultimate goal is the restoration to our intended destiny:

to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.

The crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ are all a part of a divine drama — or, Dante might say, a divine comedy — that will end with the final return of Christ in victory, when these words will be fulfilled:

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”.

RESPOND:

I am aware of a troubling reality. Though God’s love is all encompassing, and his victory is inevitable, not all will turn to God. For whatever reason — self-will, delusion, defiance — some will refuse the love, grace and mercy that Christ offers.

And when Christ returns, we are told that:

all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”

This statement reminds me of what Paul says in Philippians 2:10-11.

at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

All will one day bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Some will bow and confess the Lordship of Jesus with willing gratitude and worship. Some will bow and confess unwillingly, because they don’t want to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus.

For those who bow the knee willingly, submission to God will be heaven. For those who bow the knee unwillingly, submission to God will be hell.

Similarly, perhaps even those who are saved and have bowed the knee to Christ will mourn their sins that made the death of Christ necessary. For them, the tears will be therapeutic and cathartic; but for those who have rejected Christ, the mourning will be profound and permanent.

John’s Revelation is a stark reminder to us that we are given the opportunity to choose to bow the knee to Christ as King, and that there are consequences to our choices.

Our Lord, you have been a faithful priest, and you have offered the perfect sacrifice on my behalf — your own life! You are the firstborn from the dead, so that I may be raised as your younger brother. Now, you are calling me to be a priest in your kingdom and to serve you as my King. You have forgiven me, and you empower me to serve you. Thank you. Amen.

PHOTO:

"Linzer Dom - Fenster Versehgang 3 Alpha Omega.jpg" by Wolfgang Sauber is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Austria license.