Reading: Matthew 12:1-21, Acts 17:1-15, Psalm 27, Exodus 10-12

Recall:
Matthew 12:6 "I tell you, something greater than the temple is here."

I’m asking GOD for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
I’ll study at his feet.
Psalm 27:14

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his officials, in order that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I have made fools of the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them—so that you may know that I am the LORD.” Exodus 10:1-2

and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And so they plundered the Egyptians. Exodus 12:36

Reflect:
This was an interesting juxtaposition of passages. As I was reading the beginning of the plagues yesterday, I was enjoying the tale. As I began reading it today, the opening verses of chapter 10 awakened me. What a horrible snapshot of God. Eugene Peterson's paraphrase even brings it our further "and so you’ll be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians, like a cat with a mouse." And then God kills the first born of the Egyptians, the Hebrews are allowed to leave and they plundered the Egyptians on their way out.

Exodus 10-12 is all about religion--convincing people their God is the best, convincing people to follow the religious observances, in this case Passover.

And then, bam!, Jesus comes along and says "something greater than the temple is here." Jesus modeled a life of true spirituality, connection with God, and genuine compassion. And we went and built religion around him, trying to convince people that our God is the better God and to follow the rules and festivals.
Respond:
Thank you God, for the gift of Jesus the Christ. I want to know him. I want to experience you the way he did. I want to see the world the way he did, no matter where that leads.

Reading: Matthew 11:20-30, Acts 16:16-40, Psalm 26, Exodus 7-9

Recall:
Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. 26 Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.” Matthew 11:25-26 (The Message)

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. Matthew 11:27 (The Message)
Reflect:
It has been a looong time since I have read the story of the plagues on Egypt--a wild story to be sure. I can't help but feeling sorry for the Egyptians though. They were punished for Pharaoh's hardness of heart. Or were they only experiencing the consequences of their own complicity in what was happening in Egypt?

Matthew 11 has some fantastic insights from Jesus. It is the hoe of one of my favorite passages--the "yoke is easy" line. Peterson takes some liberties, I noticed, in his paraphrase of this passage. I love verse 27--Jesus knows the father intimately and is willing to "go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."
Respond:
I am ready to go over it line by line. I think. Well, at least I'm "willing to listen."

Reading: Matthew 11:1-19, Acts 16:1-15, Psalm 25, Exodus 4-6

Recall:
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” Matthew 11:2-6

wisdom is vindicated by her deeds Matthew 11:18

Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Acts 16:3

Then Moses answered, “But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me, but say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses drew back from it. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand, and seize it by the tail”—so he reached out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand—“so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Exodus 4:1-5

Reflect:
I have often been so concerned about believing the right thing. And I guess it's important to believe the right thing. But it's not about believing the right thing just so we can say that we do. Scripture is concerned with action--what we do based on what we believe. To John the Baptist's question about whether Jesus was the one, Jesus responds "look and see!" To Moses' question of whether or not the people would listen to him, God responded-"What's in your hand boy?!"

Respond:
I will act. I will continuously go to God, my Source, and continuously go back out and act in the world.

Reading: Luke 1:39-56, Ephesians 2:1-10, Psalm 119:17-24, 1 Kings 4-5

Recall:
King Solomon conscripted forced labor out of all Israel; the levy numbered thirty thousand men. 1 Kings 5:13

All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Ephesians 2:3-10
Reflect:
1 Kings 4 and 5 is a description of how the wise Solomon went about his business. It relates how his subjects were organized to supply for his needs. Then it describes how Solomon decided to build the temple his father was not allowed by God to build. Solomon "conscripted forced labor out of all Israel." In other words, Solomon built the temple with slave labor. This is the wisdom of God?! What's up with that?

Ephesians 2 is such a powerful passage. Ephesians 2:8-9 was drummed into me growing up, but, like so much of the theology that I was exposed to, it only tells part of the story--a very small part. We have to back up and look at the big picture. In 4-7, Paul imagines us "alive together with Christ...and raised...up with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace toward us in Christ Jesus" Wow! Good stuff! And why? Why did God do this for us? V.10 "For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life." Shazam! Bang! Here it is! So incredibly simple. Seven verses that explain the whole thing. Jason is a glorious child of God, seated with Christ, created to do good works. Let's get on with it boy!

Respond:
Gracious, glorious God. No longer will I deny who I am. I will waste no more time. I want to remember in every moment of my life who I am and why I am here.

Reading: Matthew 10:21-42, Acts 15:22-41, Psalm 24, Exodus 1-3

Recall:
“Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut— make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.

  “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
- Matthew 10:34-39 (The Message)

It seemed to the Holy Spirit and to us that you should not be saddled with any crushing burden, but be responsible only for these bare necessities: Be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians (blood, for instance); and guard the morality of sex and marriage.
These guidelines are sufficient to keep relations congenial between us. And God be with you! Acts 15:28-29

God listened to their groanings. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw what was going on with Israel. God understood. Exodus 2:24-25

Reflect:
Eugene Peterson softens the language of Matthew 10 a little bit, but wow, it's still powerful...and confusing. His desire is to "free us for God." Anything that stands in the way of that has to be removed. However, it is in those relationships, quite often, that we do the hard work of finding and relating to God. It would be easy for some, I think, to point to this verse, leave their families, and park themselves in a desert somewhere. But I don't know what good that does them or the Kingdom.

Genesis 2:24-25 is a bit perplexing as well--perplexing, but comforting. Perplexing because it seems that God needed the Hebrews to remind Him that they were suffering and that God had made a covenant with them. Didn't God already know that? But it is comforting to note that "God understood" their plight.

Respond:
God, it is so good to know that you understand me. It's a remarkable thought actually. If I shared everything about myself to anyone--my thoughts, my feelings, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't understand me. I don't even completely understand myself. But you understand.

Thank you for the gift of my family. Maybe the reason that Jesus' words sound so harsh to me is that I have such wonderful, strong relationships. I will continue to submit those relationships to you, so they may bear the most fruit--for me and Trish, and Emerson.

Reading: Matthew 10:1-20, Acts 15:1-21, Psalm 23, Genesis 50

Recall:
Genesis 50:19-21
Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid. Do I act for God? Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people. Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I’ll take care of you and your children.” He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart.

Matthew 10:5-10
Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge:
“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.

“Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. 10 You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.

Reflect:
'Til the very end, Joseph continued to get it. Forgiveness. Not for the sake of the one forgiven, although it is quite beneficial to them--but for the sake of the one forgiven. Un-forgiveness blocks, forgiveness opens up the channels of life and blessing.

Don't worry about the fund-raiser! I love that! "Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here." It is so easy. But how does that fit in with the way we do church now. There is no guarantee built in to the charge. Jesus told those sent that they would have enough for three meals a day, not enough to maintain their buildings and programs.

Respond:
Well, I don't have the luxury of figuring out how this works out in the end, all I can do is obey--tell people the kingdom is here.

Reading: Luke 1:26-38, Ephesians 1:15-23, Psalm 119:9-16, 1 Kings 2-3

Recall:
“Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?” 1 Kings 3:9

I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! Ephesians 1:16-19

  How can a young person live a clean life?
By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I’m single-minded in pursuit of you;
don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart
so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.
Psalm 119:9-11
Reflect:
What a richness. The verses describe a huge leap of faith. It's a message that has been coming back to me repeatedly over the past few weeks. If I turn it over to God, if I trust in the Spirit, will God take care of the rest. Here is what is implied in these verses: If I trust in God, then I will have endless energy, boundless strength, wisdom, and the ability to lead. Wow. What a gospel I have to proclaim, what a gospel I have to live.
Respond:
God, I want to put my trust in you. I want to give myself to the Spirit, so that I respond to her breath as if it were my own. Continue to lead me, continue to draw me further into You.

Reading: Matthew 9:27-38, Acts 14, Psalm 22:12-31, Genesis 49

Recall:
Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.
Acts 14:9b-10 And Paul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man sprang up and began to walk.
Genesis 49:22-24
Joseph is a wild donkey,
a wild donkey by a spring,
spirited donkeys on a hill.
The archers with malice attacked,
shooting their hate-tipped arrows;
But he held steady under fire,
his bow firm, his arms limber,
With the backing of the Champion of Jacob,
the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
Reflect:
Faith is the key in these two healing stories. Faith was not the power that healed them, but faith was the catalyst, the necessary ingredient for the healing to take place. I wonder what part faith plays in the miracles of our lives?

Genesis 49:22-24 is a great summary of Jospeh's life. The bow held firm, held taut with a limber arm.
Respond:
God, give me faith. I am ready to see miracles happen in this world.

Reading: Luke 1:1-25, Ephesians 1:1-14, Psalm 119:1-8, 1 Kings 1

Recall:
Psalm 119:1-2
You’re blessed when you stay on course,
walking steadily on the road revealed by GOD.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
doing your best to find him.

Reflect:
Something interesting that I noticed in Luke--When God speaks to Zechariah describing who John will be/become, he doesn't mention that John is coming to prepare a way for Jesus. He is just to be the one who "He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God." Interesting.

I love Psalm 119. I am blessed when I am doing my best to find God!

Respond:
God, I am doing my best to find you!

Reading: Matthew 9:14-26, Acts 13:26-52, Psalm 22:1-11, Genesis 48

Recall:
Matthew 9:24-25 he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up."

Psalm 22:11 "Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help."

Reflect:
If I had been Jesus I would have snapped my fingers and healed the girl just to see the faces of the laughers. How cool he must have been--he had the crowd removed and he healed the girl. It wasn't about the crowd; it wasn't about him; it was about healing the girl. It is so easy to get distracted by what is going on around, to react instead of "proact."

What an important prayer in Psalm 22- "do not be far from me." The walk can get so lonely. Many times there are people around to help. But on those occasions when we find ourselves alone on the road, it is so important that God is near.

Respond:
God, do not be far from me. Keep my heart. Keep me focused. The healing is what matters.

Reading: Matthew 9:1-13, Acts 13:1-25, Psalm 21, Genesis 46-47

Recall:
The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way. Matthew 9:8 (The Message)

Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?”
Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.” Matthew 9:10-13 (The Message)

Reflect:
When God moves, people still respond. We bitch and moan that people are not responding to what we are doing. I think often the problem is that God is not moving in our efforts, that God is not authorizing our work.

10-13 is such a powerful passage. "'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders not coddle insiders." That's the work of God. Jesus was here for the outsiders. So we are here for the outsiders. The outsiders aren't like us. the outsiders aren't "spiritual" the way I think of spiritual. But spiritual people don't need to hear the good news. The healthy don't need a doctor. The insiders don't need to be coddled.

Respond:
This will take me a while to work through I think. I dream of a Utopia of spiritual people worshipping and working together. But am I just hoping for a group of insiders engaged in mutual coddling? What am I doing to engage the outsiders. What would my ministry look like, what would our church's ministry look like if we were intentionally directed toward outsiders?