Reading: Matthew 2:1-12, Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 3, Genesis 5-8

Recall:
Genesis 6:1-4
When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose. Then the LORD said, “My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.

Acts 2:14a
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them...

Reflect:
This passage from the Noah story jumped out at me this time. The story of Noah is pretty wild to begin with. But these few verses are really bizarre--sons of gods and giants and heroes. It is like a page out of Greek mythology.

Of course, Acts 2 gives the imagination a workout as well. From huddled in a locked room to preaching before thousands with everyone understanding in their own language.

Respond:
I don't always know how to respond to some of the stories in the Bible. It is hard to guess why they were written or what they mean or what value they have for me, for the world today. I do know that something happened. What power is available to us if we were to plug in to it?

Reading: Matthew 1:18-25, Acts 1:12-26, Psalm 2, Genesis 3-4

Recall:
Matthew 1:23: "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

Acts 1:13-14: When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

Reflect:
"God is with us." I never tire of hearing that concept. Jesus is "God is with us." By learning and experiencing everything I can about Jesus, I learn what it means to be in relationship to God.

At the very beginning of the church, already the women were being relegated to the sidelines, at least in the description of the event. They went unnamed, except Mary. But they were THERE. And they all were praying, devoting themselves to prayer. If we look to Acts as a primer on church life, I guess a foundational aspect must be prayer. Before the preaching started, before the crowds came, before the church grew, there was prayer.

Respond:
Forgive me God for being so quick to ignore my prayer life. I have the promise that you are with me through your spirit, yet I often neglect the opportunity to spend time with you.

I will make prayer a part of every day. I will make prayer a vital element of our church and its ministry by teaching and championing it and making space for it in everything that we do.

Reading: Matthew 1:1-17, Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 1, Genesis 1-2

Recall:
Acts 1:6 - So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Acts 1:10-11 - While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Reflect:
I like the disciples question of Jesus in Acts 1:6. "Is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Is this going to be when we finally get it done? C'mon Jesus. I feel like that sometimes. Is this when it's going to happen? But the things on my list of priorities isn't necessarily on Jesus' list. It seems, based on his words, that Jesus' priority for those original disciples and, I would assume for present day disciples as well, is to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples. God must take care of the rest.
Respond:
God, so often I want to make things happen, get things going, grow the church. And honestly, I don't see myself letting those things go. But thank you for the reminder that the important part is to make disciples and to proclaim the Good News of your grace in my words and in my actions.

This is going to be my year of discipleship. I want to discover and experience what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in the 21st century

John 6:60-71, 1 Peter 4:1-11, Song 6, Lamentation 1

Recall:
Lamentation 1:12 Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger.

John 6:65 And he [Jesus] said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."
Reflect:
I wasn't particularly looking forward to spending time in Lamentations until I read William Wilimon's introduction to the book. "Perpetually joyful believers who never need Lamentations are self-centered, self-consumed believers who feel none of the pain of the rest of the world." Powerful words. This is the second word I have heard in the past couple of weeks about the necessity of making space for the negative. The challenge, I suppose, is to integrate that understanding with the importance of staying "up" and staying positive--making room for the negative, the shadow, without crossing the line into wallowing and spiraling downward.

The passage from John seems to point toward predestination, that the only ones that can come to Jesus are those who God grants. But I cannot imagine that God would NOT grant that anyone could come to Jesus. But it is a great reminder that God must be involved in the process.

1 Peter 4:1-11, and especially 7-11 is chock-full of information about relationships, life together.
Respond:
Great encouragement today from these passages. Thank you God! It is good counsel for me as a pastor. From Peter, great reminders about what it means to relate to others in love. From Lamentations, the counsel to make room for those who are grieving, even in the midst of keeping my own attitude up and positive. And from John, to always be looking for signs of interest in the Divine.

1 Peter 3:13-22, John 6:41-49, Song 5, Jeremiah 52

Recall:
Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 1 Peter 3:13-17
Reflect:
I hear the later part of this passage quoted all the time, the idea about persecuted for doing good. But I don't know that I have ever heard it in the context the first verse provides. It starts with the idea that it is highly unlikely that anyone will harm us for doing good. If one's intent is to do good, there's not much to worry about. The "persecution" that many religious wear as a badge of honor is simply a reaction to their ideas (which are often quite narrow) or their attitude (often quite condescending).
Respond:
Right actions. That is what my life needs to be about. It is what matters; it is what makes a difference. The world, obviously, will not be changed by sermons. It will be changed by actions.

Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-22, John 6:25-59, Song 5, Jeremiah 52

Recall:
John 6:38-40 (The Message)
I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.

“This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time.”

Reflect:
Peterson was very free with the paraphrase of this verse, but man what good stuff. It doesn't get any clearer than this. Jesus came to do God's will. And God's will is that everything and everyone gets put together upright and whole. God's will is that everyone has real, eternal, abundant life.

Respond:
Our faith is real and practical. We have made it ethereal and impractical. In my preaching, but more importantly in my life, I need to be following the example of Jesus, I need to be manifesting the will of God.

1 Peter 3:8-12, John 16:25-40, Song 4:8-16, Jeremiah 51

Recall:
Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9

Reflect:
Repay with a blessing. Turning the other cheek. We think of that as a sacrifice usually. But how liberating that idea is. I am called to be a blessing. I am not called to strike or to strike back. I don't have to worry about that. I think it probably takes as much, if not more, effort and energy to worry about defending ourself and retaliation as it would take to live in unity and sympathy and love and humility.

How would this work if we were to put it into practice in society?

Respond:
I'm going to memorize this verse this week. It is one to internalize and practice. My calling is to bless so that I might inherit my blessing.

John 6:16-24, 1 Peter 3:1-7, Song of Songs 4:1-7, Jeremiah 50

Recall:
1 Peter 3:1-7 from The Message
The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes— but your inner disposition.

Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.

  The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.

Reflect:
I was reading this passage in the NRSV and my eyes were glazing over and my mind clouding because it is such a horribly chauvinistic passage. But then I read it in Peterson's paraphrase and he turns it into something beautiful and touching. I so often get hung up on the words of scripture and either accept or reject it. Peterson, however, takes just a step to the side and is able to entirely reimagine it.

Respond:
I need to constantly, continuously engage the scriptures, sifting to find God's words and God's heart.

John 6:1-15, 1 Peter 2:18-25, Song of Songs 3, Jeremiah 49

Recall:
John 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.

Song of Songs 3:5
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the wild does:
do not stir up or awaken love
until it is ready!

Reflect:
The story of the feeding of the multitude always pops up at the right time for me. I always need to be reminded that God's plan is abundance, God's plan is enough with some leftover. If, for whatever reason, that is not my experience then I need to go back and find out what the issue is.

"Do not stir or awaken love before it is ready." The statement is made in both this chapter and the previous chapter of Song of Songs, so it must be important. It caught my attention but I don't know why yet.

Respond:
Good and gracious God, you are the God of enough. Your plan, your intention is for us to have everything that we need and then some. Help me shift my attitude and my reality. I have enough!

John 5:31-47, 1 Peter 2:9-17, Song of Solomon 2, Jeremiah 47-48

Recall:
John 5:39-40 "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

1 Peter 2:16-17 "As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor."

Reflect:
The passage from John is interesting. Of course, in the context of the story, Jesus is speaking to the Jewish leaders. But I think it applies to us as well. We get obsessed with the words and neglect the relationship. The "words" could be the Bible or tradition or the ins and outs of the organization, and we neglect the relationship. Life, abundant eternal life, comes out of the relationship. Our relationship with Jesus, our relationships with one another. Peter got it. He encourages his readers to employ their freedom for good purposes, to honor everyone, to love the family of believers.

Respond:

Relationship--that is the key, making space for my relationship with God to develop, developing relationships with others.

John 5:16-30, 1 Peter 2:1-8, Song of Solomon 1, Jeremiah 44-46

Recall:
1 Peter 2:1-3:  Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

John 5:16-17, 19-20: Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.”...Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.

Reflect:
The words from John are seared into my heart because of the time I have spent working through "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby. They are powerful statements. God will show me whatever I want to see of God. I just have to make the space for it in my life. I wonder how much time and energy could be saved just by pausing and looking for what God is doing and joining in rather than running around and guessing.

Respond:

Gracious God, thank you for revealing yourself to me. Forgive me for so often not taking the time to see how you are at work in my life and in my world.

I continue to make time to see God at work in my life. Like Jesus, I see where God is working and I join God where He is at work.

John 5:1-15, 1 Peter 1:17-25, Ecclesiastes 12, Jeremiah 39-43

Recall:
...he [Jesus] said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way someone steps down ahead of me." Jesus said to him, "Stand up, take your mat and walk." John 5:7b-8

Reflect:
I love Marva Dawn's comments regarding this passage in the Renovare study Bible: "This narrative of Jesus' third sigh exhibits another obstacle to Christ's healing and our belief—our excuses. What rationalizations keep us from receiving whatever God wants to do for, in, or through us?"

How true! How true! I always have a reason, I always have an excuse as to why I can't go deeper into the Divine. And God just shakes his head (excuse my masculine anthropomorphism) and says, OK. He loves me the same, he'll keep inviting me, but he isn't ever going to force me.

Respond:
God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for constantly wooing me to yourself. Make me mindful of my excuses, my good reasons for not responding to your call.

John 4:27-42, Ecclesiastes 10, Jeremiah 32-34, 1 Peter 1:1-9

Recall:
John 4:34-35
Jesus said, "The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn't you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I'm telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what's right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It's harvest time!" (The Message)

Ecclesiastes 10:10
Remember: The duller the ax, the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle.

1 Peter 1:3-5
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, the Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole. (The Message)

Reflect:
The harvest is here. The time is now. The words resonate through me. Jesus' food, Jesus' life was interacting and sharing life with those around him.

Peter's words to his readers are so encouraging and so vital to our lives. God is good! God is the giver of eternal, abundant LIFE, and that starts now—or it can start now if one were to get plugged in.

Our faith has so much to offer—water that never runs dry and always satisfies. We need to be working hard with a sharp ax to accomplish as much as we can with the time and resources available to us.

Respond:
God, help me focus even further on what your calling on my life is so that I can be about precisely what I am most qualified to join you in.

I no longer want to let a day go by that I don't interact with someone and let them know about all that you have in store for them.

John 4:15-26, James 15:13-20, Ecclesiastes 9, Jeremiah 30-31

Recall:
But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
John 4:23-24 (The Message)

Reflect:
Wow, if you weren't careful you'd mistake Jesus for some hippie new-ager. Of course, this is Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, but it seems to capture the spirit of the passage. Who we are and the way we live--that's what is important to God. It captures the essence of the book of James a bit. Faith without works is dead. The purpose of our faith is a transformed life--a life that is lived differently and that makes a difference.

Respond:
God, continue to form me into an honest worshiper. I want to be formed in integrity through and through. I want to become single-minded, the same all of the time so that I can be pointed toward God and point others toward God in all that I do.

John 4:1-14, James 5:7-12, Ecclesiastes 8, Jeremiah 26-29

Recall:
John 4:13-14
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” (The Message)

James 5:7-8
Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time. (The Message)

Ecclesiastes 8:1
Who is like the wise man?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
Wisdom makes one’s face shine,
and the hardness of one’s countenance is changed. (NRSV)

Jeremiah 29:10-14
This is GOD’S Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
“When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

  “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.

“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” GOD’S Decree. (The Message)

Reflect:
An embarrassment of riches this morning. Such words of encouragement, even in the usually quite unencouraging book of Jeremiah. Such a promise--when you seek me, you will find me. There are continuous streams of living water available for the asking--but only to the extent that I ask for them, seek them.

The process can sometimes be slow and arduous. Not because God is a stingy God, but because the process of me wiping the sleep from my eyes can be so involved. That is where James' advice comes into play. Be patient, steady, and strong. The Master will come!

Ecclesiastes 8:1 is a new wisdom description for me--I don't remember ever reading it before. But what encouraging words! Wisdom can soften the heart and face.

Respond:
The hunt is on! It seems that just about every moment of my life should be spent in either seeking God or sharing with my family, church, and community what I have found.

We have, in our faith tradition, a viable, workable plan to transform our lives--streams of living water, the power to transform hearts and even faces--the keys to the Kingdom!

God, forgive me for the moments that I have frittered away this week, moments that I could have been drawing water from you, or pouring it into others. Thank you for always being here with me, always ready to reveal yourself to me, always ready to respond when I call out to you--even as imperfect and half-hearted as that call often is.

John 3:22-36, James 5:1-6, Ecclesiastes 7:15-29, Jeremiah 23-25

Recall:

“Doom to the shepherd-leaders who butcher and scatter my sheep!” GOD’S Decree. “So here is what I, GOD, Israel’s God, say to the shepherd-leaders who misled my people: ‘You’ve scattered my sheep. You’ve driven them off. You haven’t kept your eye on them. Well, let me tell you, I’m keeping my eye on you, keeping track of your criminal behavior. I’ll take over and gather what’s left of my sheep, gather them in from all the lands where I’ve driven them. I’ll bring them back where they belong, and they’ll recover and flourish. I’ll set shepherd-leaders over them who will take good care of them. They won’t live in fear or panic anymore. All the lost sheep rounded up!’ GOD’S Decree.” Jeremiah 23:1-4

“Have any of these prophets bothered to meet with me, the true GOD?
bothered to take in what I have to say?
listened to and then lived out my Word? Jeremiah 23:21
Reflect: In the midst of God's complaints in Jeremiah was one that jumped out at me. Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of it is powerful. God is speaking to false prophets, those who butcher and scatter the sheep. There have been many of those, I think, over the centuries up until now. It is so easy for us as leaders to take our awesome calling for granted, to forget to keep an eye on the sheep, at best. And at worst to lead them astray.
Respond: God, I want to be found worthy. When you gather your sheep, I want you to be confident enough in me to set me over them. I want to listen to you and then live out your word.

Hearing God, through the disciplines, through meditation, is necessary before I dare open my mouth.

John 3:16-20, James 4:11-17, Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Jeremiah 19-22

Recall: This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 (The Message)
Reflect: "A whole and lasting life"--GEEZ, that is what so many are longing for. Is it what I am offering to people in my ministry?
Respond: "What is it about my relationship with Jesus that the world cannot live without?" After someone has heard me or watched me, is that question answered for them? My relationship with Jesus gives my life wholeness and purpose. Jesus is the horizon, what I can look at and keep perspective no matter what else is going on in my life.

John 3:1-15, James 4:1-10, Ecclesiastes 6, Jeremiah 16-18

Recall:
James 4:7-10
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Reflect:
I was going to just put vs. 7-8 and 10. But that's not really honest to the text. I'm all for turning toward God and humbling myself. But verse 9 is a downer. "Lament and mourn and weep." My culture doesn't need to be told to do that. I wonder if Jerusalem in James' time had to be.

Or maybe, my culture does need to mourn and weep. Come to think of it, we don't actually do that. We have a low-grade depression, we bitch and moan, we have a bad attitude, but I don't think we actually lament. Maybe if we were to really cry about what hurts, to lament over the wrongs, it would free us from the general feeling of malaise that seems to haunt so many so much of the time.

Respond:
I'm turning, God. Not as fast as I would like, maybe not even as fast as I could, but I am turning toward you. Thanks for turning towards me. Continue to purify my heart until you and your kingdom are preeminent. As trite as it sounds, let what breaks your heart break my heart.

I don't ever mourn. I deal. Should I stop and lament the pain present in this world? Should I weep over the shortcomings in my own life?

John 2:12-25, James 3:13-18, Ecclesiastes 5, Jeremiah 14-15

Reading:
John 2:12-25, James 3:13-18, Ecclesiastes 5, Jeremiah 14-15
Recall:
Then GOD said of these people:
“Since they loved to wander this way and that,
never giving a thought to where they were going,
I will now have nothing more to do with them—
except to note their guilt and punish their sins.” Jeremiah 14:10

Therefore thus says the Lord:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall serve as my mouth. Jeremiah 15:19

Reflect:
Sometimes I get so caught up in (and irritated with) the anthropomorphised God language of the prophets that I miss the wisdom in them. The words from Jeremiah jumped out at me: "...they loved to wander this way and that, never giving a thought to where they were going..." What an apt description of many in our culture. What an apt description {cringe} of my life sometimes.

Does God have nothing more to do with me when I get off track? Of course not. That is just how the ancients saw it. But it is a good description. It feels like God has "nothing more to do with me--except to note my guilt and punish my sins."

When I "turn back," when I turn toward God, if I meditate upon and utter what is precious--surprise, surprise--God seems to "take me back."

Respond:
"Born to wander, Lord I feel it, born to leave the God I love." Train my wandering heart, O God. Sharpen my focus. I long to live and operate and parent and minister in your power and strength. I want to love with your love. I want to lead with your authority.

I sound like a broken record sometimes. Consistency is rewarded. Well, maybe rewarded is the wrong word. Consistency produces results. The time I spend, on a consistent basis, in scripture, meditation, prayer, physical exercise, etc. produces results and produces a change in perspective. That extra hour at the beginning of the day is really tough to eek out, but it's absolutely necessary for effectiveness.

John 2:1-11, James 3:1-12, Ecclesiastes 4, Jeremiah 12-13

Recall:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
It's better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps, But if there's no one to help, tough! Two in a bed warm each other. Alone, you shiver all night. By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.

Jeremiah 12:5
"So, Jeremiah, if you're worn out with this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses?"

Reflect:
Two ideas jumped out at me in these passages. First, the necessity of partnerships, of operating in community. The wisdom of the teacher resonates 4,000 years later. We each need the encouragement and cooperation of the other. Of course, that is the idea of the church.

And I wanna run with the horses! Jeremiah was complaining. God, ever the task-master in her/his desire to see us become everything we were created to be, says "Whoa buddy, if you can't even handle this what's going to happen when the going really gets tough?!" Love it.

Respond:
Awesome God, unrelenting in your desire to see me shine with your radiance, never let me off the hook. What is there to do but become a conduit of your love and light an power to my family, my church, and my community?

I need to continue to orient my life toward my Creator--through engaging scripture, through meditation, through my actions. I need to be prepared to run with the horses.

And I need to bring people with me. Investing my time and my life into others, partnering with people in ministry.

John 1:43-51, James 2:14-26, Ecclesiastes 3:16-22, Jeremiah 10-11

Read:
John 1:43-51, James 2:14-26, Ecclesiastes 3:16-22, Jeremiah 10-11

John 1:46 "Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.'"

James 2:15-17 "If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,' and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead."

Reflect:
"Come and see." Philip didn't need to argue with Nathanael. He didn't nee to "defend Jesus." All he had to do was show Nathanael Jesus. Actions are important. If one's actions show people Jesus then there isn't a need for a whole lot of talking and arguing. If Jesus is real to me and my actions confirm that, then all anyone has to do is "come and see."

Respond:
God, thank you for revealing this truth to me from scripture. May my life so radiate with you that people can come and see the difference you can make in a life.

John 1:35-42, James 2:1-3, Ecclesiates 3:1-15, Jeremiah 7-9

Read: John 1:35-42, James 2:1-13, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, Jeremiah 7-9
Do you suppose they are embarrassed
over this outrage?
Not really. They have no shame.
They don’t even know how to blush.
There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom
and there’s no getting up.
As far as I’m concerned,
they’re finished.’” GOD has spoken.

 

“‘I went out to see if I could salvage anything’”
—GOD’S Decree—
“‘but found nothing:
Not a grape, not a fig,
just a few withered leaves.
I’m taking back
everything I gave them.’

”

Jeremiah 8:12-13

If you brag, brag of this and this only:
That you understand and know me.
I’m GOD, and I act in loyal love.
I do what’s right and set things right and fair,
and delight in those who do the same things.
These are my trademarks.” Jeremiah 9:24

Reflect: In the space of a few verses, God is portrayed both as a petulant child and as one who acts in "loyal love." Can these be the actual words of God? Or, as I think more likely, the ramblings of the writer?

Respond: Boy, I've gotta be careful in presuming to speak for God. Jesus' response to the ones that would follow him was "Come and see." How different than the holier-than-thou pontificating of James and Jeremiah.

God, may people see you in me and not be turned off by what I say about you.

John 1:29-34, James 1:19-27, Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, Jeremiah 5-6

Read:
John 1:29-34, James 1:19-27, Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, Jeremiah 5-6
And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” John 1:32-34

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. James 1:22

For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. Ecclesiastes 2:24

Reflect:
There was something about Jesus to which some part of John the Baptist responded. He could see, he could sense, he could testify that this was the Son of God.
How I live must testify that I am a child of God. No amount of striving on my part to influence people will amount to anything if there is not an essence that rings true in my life. And that comes from who I am. And who I am comes from the work that I put into my life. It's the "law of correspondence" that every religion and self improvement writer talks about. What is inside is what is outside.
In the hierarchical, anthropomorphized God language of "the teacher" in Ecclesiastes, those that please God are rewarded with wisdom and knowledge and joy.

Respond:
Thank you God that you respond to every move that I make toward you. Thank you for the blessings you have provided me--that people see you in me even though I often do a pretty good job of obscuring the image.

Success in my life and in my ministry--and yes, I unapologetically want success in both of those areas--begins with my own inner life. As I continue to build into my life the practices and habits that encourage my own growth, the growth of my influence will correspond. I can't fake it!

John 1:19-28, James 1:12-18, Ecclesiastes 2:1-16, Jeremiah 3-4

Read:
John 1:19-28, James 1:12-18, Ecclesiastes 2:1-16, Jeremiah 3-4

Reflection:
Well, James was about the glory of resisting temptation. Ecclesiastes was about the futility of wealth and wisdom--two things I'm kinda fond of. And Jeremiah 3-4 was a diatribe against Israel and Judah and their whoring ways. Not what you could call positive reading--for me anyway. John provided a little glimmer. John the Baptist was asked "Who are you?" He first responded by claiming who he was not--the Messiah. But they kept asking--"Well, are you the prophet? Are you Elijah? Who are you?"

The Baptist reached back to Isaiah- "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'"

John the Baptist knew who he was and knew who he wasn't. He didn't define himself in terms of those who came before him, but in terms of what was coming after him, what was going to be birthed.

Response:
God---the question posed to the Baptist often echoes in my soul. "Who are you?" Thank you for making me your child--for making that my identity.

It is tempting to settle for being what has already been, to fall back into the comfortable, nostalgic styles of how the gospel was proclaimed and church was done 30, 20, or 10 years ago.

But, I have to always be prepared for how God will be birthed next. John's calling is mine--to make a path for "the Lord." Am I doing that with my family? with my church? with my community?

John 1:1-14, James 1:1-11, Ecclesiastes 1, Jeremiah 1-2

Reading: John 1:1-14, James 1:1-11, Ecclesiastes 1, Jeremiah 1-2

"

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord." James 1:1-8

Reflection:
Just because a scripture is misunderstood or misused, does not mean that it doesn't hold siginificant value. The issue of what part faith plays in our life--what we become, what we achieve, what we acquire--has been debated in Christianity since the beginning of Christianity, I am sure. Here, James seems to be giving the "company line" about faith and doubt. Faith is rewarded, doubt punished.

If one can get past the emotional charge and Sunday School baggage of those words and look toward applying them, they make some sense. If we seek wisdom consistently (faithfully), knowing that it eventually will come (not doubting) then it will come. My problem is that I am quite often too easily tossed by the wind and waves.

Response:
"God of Grace, who responds exponentially to every move I make toward you, strengthen my faith, my resolve, as I seek your wisdom and blessings for my life."

Consistency is the sometimes elusive key for me. I must continue to incorporate faith-building practices into my life. I will achieve wisdom. I will achieve every dream God has planted in my heart. I must act accordingly.