Today’s devotional is from Misty:
Over the past few weeks of stress and anxiety, God has blessed our family with this song. I pray that you and I can wake up every day feeling born again. Because truly, if we take hold of the gift of life and love that God has given us we truly can. I challenge you as much as I challenge myself to give yourself totally to God and allow his love to wash over every single part of your life. He is the only one who can repair the broken, He is the only one who knows who we are truly meant to be, we just have to allow Him to work. Keep this song in your mind and heart. Find it and listen to it.
Today I found myself
After searching all these years
the man that I saw
He wasn't at all who I thought he'd be
I was lost when you found me here
I was broken beyond repair.
Then you came along
And you sang your song over me
I feel like I'm born again
I feel like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
In my life
Make a promise to me now
Reassure my heart somehow
That the love that I feel
Is so much more real than anything
I've a feeling in my soul
And I pray that I'm not wrong
That the life I have now
Is is only the beginning
It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
It feels like I'm breathing
Feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
For the very first time
Wasn't lookin' for
Something that was more
than what I had yesterday
Then you came to me
and you gave me
A life and a love
that I've never known
that I've never felt before
It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
It feels like I'm breathing
Feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
I'm livin' for the first time
In my life
Blessings,
Misty
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
More than veracity ...
Hear the word of God:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
(John 14:1-7, NIV)
Much of who a person's character is revealed in what they say before they leave. A harsh word at the end of an argument, a loving word to a spouse on the way out the door, a cheerful farewell at the conclusion of a friendly greeting - all these instances reveal who we are. On the eve of Jesus' final departure, he tells his followers simply, "Do not let your hearts be troubled ... I am going away, but you know the way to where I am going."
Thomas flatly disagrees with Jesus, protesting that the disciples do not know the way to where Jesus is going. Jesus engages him more deeply, though:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Often in the Gospel of John when Jesus speaks of his impending death he says that he is "going to the Father," a thread which he picks up again here. Jesus clarifies that his destination is the Father, and so the disciples do know the way - through Jesus. If the disciples understand that Jesus is about to leave, then they are sorely in need of a path at this point. They have left home, family, jobs, and all hope of security in order to follow Jesus. Now their teacher is leaving and they don't know which way to go. Jesus reassures them with the words, "I am the way."
You see, the disciples' abandonment of their former lives was not simply a rash, impulsive decision, nor was it merely a journey of self-realization. In fact, it was quite the opposite: the point of their journey had been to come to the Father, a purpose which Jesus affirmed they could continue even in his absence. Jesus showed humanity the nature of God, and so he told his disciples to continue following his way even in his absence because that path still leads to the Father.
The purpose of Jesus' mission was to give life to all. In fact, yesterday we heard Jesus say, "I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." The way leading to the Father is life, like food and drink. It is a life that reaches beyond the grasp of death. He who declares himself to be the bread of life, the resurrection and the life, and the giver of life makes an unequivocal statement: "Continue to follow my way, and you will have the life that I give and embody, the life which is through and is me."
Sometimes truth means something more than veracity or even reliability. Sometimes truth needs to be more than simply correct. Sometimes, when it really matters, truth needs to be sturdy enough to build your life on. This is one of those times. Jesus' testimony is absolutely true, including his testimony about his own identity. If what he says about himself is true, he knows that it will change everything. Thus, before he leaves Jesus tells his disciples that he is the truth. They can and must hold to all his teachings and all his commands, because he is the truth. Later on, Pilate will ask Jesus, "What is truth?" If he had heard these words, perhaps Pilate would have understood. Jesus and his life-giving way are truth.
Here, then, is the word of Christ: "I am the way to the Father, I am the truest testimony of all, and I am the real abundant life that everyone wants."
Blessings,
Greg
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
(John 14:1-7, NIV)
Much of who a person's character is revealed in what they say before they leave. A harsh word at the end of an argument, a loving word to a spouse on the way out the door, a cheerful farewell at the conclusion of a friendly greeting - all these instances reveal who we are. On the eve of Jesus' final departure, he tells his followers simply, "Do not let your hearts be troubled ... I am going away, but you know the way to where I am going."
Thomas flatly disagrees with Jesus, protesting that the disciples do not know the way to where Jesus is going. Jesus engages him more deeply, though:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Often in the Gospel of John when Jesus speaks of his impending death he says that he is "going to the Father," a thread which he picks up again here. Jesus clarifies that his destination is the Father, and so the disciples do know the way - through Jesus. If the disciples understand that Jesus is about to leave, then they are sorely in need of a path at this point. They have left home, family, jobs, and all hope of security in order to follow Jesus. Now their teacher is leaving and they don't know which way to go. Jesus reassures them with the words, "I am the way."
You see, the disciples' abandonment of their former lives was not simply a rash, impulsive decision, nor was it merely a journey of self-realization. In fact, it was quite the opposite: the point of their journey had been to come to the Father, a purpose which Jesus affirmed they could continue even in his absence. Jesus showed humanity the nature of God, and so he told his disciples to continue following his way even in his absence because that path still leads to the Father.
The purpose of Jesus' mission was to give life to all. In fact, yesterday we heard Jesus say, "I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." The way leading to the Father is life, like food and drink. It is a life that reaches beyond the grasp of death. He who declares himself to be the bread of life, the resurrection and the life, and the giver of life makes an unequivocal statement: "Continue to follow my way, and you will have the life that I give and embody, the life which is through and is me."
Sometimes truth means something more than veracity or even reliability. Sometimes truth needs to be more than simply correct. Sometimes, when it really matters, truth needs to be sturdy enough to build your life on. This is one of those times. Jesus' testimony is absolutely true, including his testimony about his own identity. If what he says about himself is true, he knows that it will change everything. Thus, before he leaves Jesus tells his disciples that he is the truth. They can and must hold to all his teachings and all his commands, because he is the truth. Later on, Pilate will ask Jesus, "What is truth?" If he had heard these words, perhaps Pilate would have understood. Jesus and his life-giving way are truth.
Here, then, is the word of Christ: "I am the way to the Father, I am the truest testimony of all, and I am the real abundant life that everyone wants."
Blessings,
Greg
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Bread of life ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
(John 6:47-59, NIV)
The very people we discussed yesterday who asked Jesus for a sign cannot accept that he is the sign. They begin to grumble against Jesus, unsettled by his proclamation. Their feeling of displacement is common; oftentimes when Jesus reveals who he is to us we are left feeling uneasy or unsettled.
Though the crowd is unable to see that Jesus is the sign and thus believe, Jesus affirms that those who do believe will have the life everlasting. Jesus once again identifies himself - "I am the bread of life." His identity introduces the contrast between what the crowd expects and what Jesus really is. They want a sign like the manna in the desert (even though Jesus has already given them divinely provided breaded), but those who ate manna died. Jesus, the bread which comes down from heaven, is different from the manna that comes down from heaven. The manna could only feed the body, but whoever eats the bread of life receives life everlasting. Just as Jesus taught the crowd to work for food which endures to eternal life rather than food that spoils, he now urges them to eat of his flesh instead of depending on manna from heaven to sustain their bodies.
If you think about it, using the metaphor of bread is jam-packed with meaning. It means that we depend so fully, freely, and openly on God that we cannot survive without Christ, the bread he provides for us. In this metaphor, Christ is our sustenance. He comes down from heaven not only to give us eternal life in heaven when we die but also to invigorate and animate us now. He is our food and our drink - everything that gives us life and keeps us alive.
Without eating Jesus' flesh, we have no life in us. His body and blood truly sustain us. The sacrifice of the Christ on the cross nourishes us like bread and beverage, which we eat and drink in order to remember that sacrifice. When we participate in that meal, Jesus lives and abides in us. He moves in us and through us, just as God moved in and through him.
So not only does the bread of life represent the true sign of God's love for us, it also lives inside us. Unlike the manna, which could not give life everlasting and did not remain within us, Jesus is the ultimate sustenance. In what ways can we depend on Jesus like food or water or air? In what ways can we need him so desperately that nothing else matters without his nourishment?
"I am the bread of life."
Blessings,
Greg
“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
(John 6:47-59, NIV)
The very people we discussed yesterday who asked Jesus for a sign cannot accept that he is the sign. They begin to grumble against Jesus, unsettled by his proclamation. Their feeling of displacement is common; oftentimes when Jesus reveals who he is to us we are left feeling uneasy or unsettled.
Though the crowd is unable to see that Jesus is the sign and thus believe, Jesus affirms that those who do believe will have the life everlasting. Jesus once again identifies himself - "I am the bread of life." His identity introduces the contrast between what the crowd expects and what Jesus really is. They want a sign like the manna in the desert (even though Jesus has already given them divinely provided breaded), but those who ate manna died. Jesus, the bread which comes down from heaven, is different from the manna that comes down from heaven. The manna could only feed the body, but whoever eats the bread of life receives life everlasting. Just as Jesus taught the crowd to work for food which endures to eternal life rather than food that spoils, he now urges them to eat of his flesh instead of depending on manna from heaven to sustain their bodies.
If you think about it, using the metaphor of bread is jam-packed with meaning. It means that we depend so fully, freely, and openly on God that we cannot survive without Christ, the bread he provides for us. In this metaphor, Christ is our sustenance. He comes down from heaven not only to give us eternal life in heaven when we die but also to invigorate and animate us now. He is our food and our drink - everything that gives us life and keeps us alive.
Without eating Jesus' flesh, we have no life in us. His body and blood truly sustain us. The sacrifice of the Christ on the cross nourishes us like bread and beverage, which we eat and drink in order to remember that sacrifice. When we participate in that meal, Jesus lives and abides in us. He moves in us and through us, just as God moved in and through him.
So not only does the bread of life represent the true sign of God's love for us, it also lives inside us. Unlike the manna, which could not give life everlasting and did not remain within us, Jesus is the ultimate sustenance. In what ways can we depend on Jesus like food or water or air? In what ways can we need him so desperately that nothing else matters without his nourishment?
"I am the bread of life."
Blessings,
Greg
Saturday, May 16, 2009
My heart instructs me ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you."
As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble,
in whom is all my delight.
Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names upon my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16 – NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you."
As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble,
in whom is all my delight.
Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names upon my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16 – NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Very fierce that day ...
In the time after Saul and Jonathan had died, and before David had consolidated his kingdom, there was war between the forces of David and those of Ishbosheth. Abner led the forces of Ishbosheth, and Joab led David’s men.
Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise." Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon. And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
The two armies come together; Joab’s men are not numerous, but they are hardened by dozens of battles under Joab and David’s leadership. Abner’s men may very well be more numerous, but the loss of many men in the same battle that ended the life of Saul and Jonathan has weakened both their experience and number. Both leaders feel compelled to fight, but neither can afford large losses. So they come up with a plan. They will engage in representative combat, much like what had happened with David and Goliath. Here though, they counted off every so many men until they had picked twelve for each side (perhaps representative of the twelve tribes, now divided and fighting a civil war here). The young men are to arise and “play” before Joab and Abner. This “play” is actually gladiatorial combat. Archeology confirms accounts of similar outcomes in similar contests in other places: all of the combatants die. Because the victor is not clear, general fighting breaks out, and things don’t go well for Abner.
And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" And he answered, "It is I." Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?"
Asahel doesn’t get Abner’s point. Asahel is caught up in the moment. He is not thinking about the past, not remembering the history of Abner’s many victories, not seeing that Abner has survived 100% of the battles that he has fought, win or lose. He has forgotten that Abner is a very dangerous old man. Asahel is not thinking about the future either; at best, by discounting Abner’s skill and experience, he has a 33% chance of surviving this contest (Joab could die, Asahel could die, or they both could die). Even if Asahel wins, he invites revenge from Abner’s clan. Abner is in the moment, too, but he wisely accesses his past experience with this young man and decides to dissuade him from combat. When Abner looks to the future, he sees that anything but Asahel’s turning aside will lead to a lose-lose situation: either Abner will die or face vendetta from his two brothers, and perhaps Asahel’s uncle David as well. Abner wants to live tomorrow, but Asahel wants glory today.
But [Asahel] refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
Such is the ambition and energy of Asahel’s pursuit that he skewers himself on the sandy end of Abner’s spear. Asahel couldn’t leave the moment to consider the past or the future, and now he will never leave this moment at all. Twenty-four bodies in a bloody pile do not have the power to stop an army the way that Asahel’s stricken body does. And Abner turns out to be right; killing Asahel has allowed him to survive one threat, but relief is brief. Now two brothers pursue with a vengeance, literally a vendetta. Abner’s savvy allows him to survive to fight another day, but eventually his analysis proves to be correct; he will lose his life over this battle.
How are we doing in keeping our present connected with our past and our future? Failure to do this may mean failure altogether. Success at this doesn’t guarantee that we’ll always have victory, but it does hold out promise that we’ll live to work on our lives tomorrow.
May God bless us with the wisdom to use the time of our life well.
Ron
2 Samuel 2:12-23 – ESV
Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise." Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon. And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
The two armies come together; Joab’s men are not numerous, but they are hardened by dozens of battles under Joab and David’s leadership. Abner’s men may very well be more numerous, but the loss of many men in the same battle that ended the life of Saul and Jonathan has weakened both their experience and number. Both leaders feel compelled to fight, but neither can afford large losses. So they come up with a plan. They will engage in representative combat, much like what had happened with David and Goliath. Here though, they counted off every so many men until they had picked twelve for each side (perhaps representative of the twelve tribes, now divided and fighting a civil war here). The young men are to arise and “play” before Joab and Abner. This “play” is actually gladiatorial combat. Archeology confirms accounts of similar outcomes in similar contests in other places: all of the combatants die. Because the victor is not clear, general fighting breaks out, and things don’t go well for Abner.
And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" And he answered, "It is I." Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?"
Asahel doesn’t get Abner’s point. Asahel is caught up in the moment. He is not thinking about the past, not remembering the history of Abner’s many victories, not seeing that Abner has survived 100% of the battles that he has fought, win or lose. He has forgotten that Abner is a very dangerous old man. Asahel is not thinking about the future either; at best, by discounting Abner’s skill and experience, he has a 33% chance of surviving this contest (Joab could die, Asahel could die, or they both could die). Even if Asahel wins, he invites revenge from Abner’s clan. Abner is in the moment, too, but he wisely accesses his past experience with this young man and decides to dissuade him from combat. When Abner looks to the future, he sees that anything but Asahel’s turning aside will lead to a lose-lose situation: either Abner will die or face vendetta from his two brothers, and perhaps Asahel’s uncle David as well. Abner wants to live tomorrow, but Asahel wants glory today.
But [Asahel] refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
Such is the ambition and energy of Asahel’s pursuit that he skewers himself on the sandy end of Abner’s spear. Asahel couldn’t leave the moment to consider the past or the future, and now he will never leave this moment at all. Twenty-four bodies in a bloody pile do not have the power to stop an army the way that Asahel’s stricken body does. And Abner turns out to be right; killing Asahel has allowed him to survive one threat, but relief is brief. Now two brothers pursue with a vengeance, literally a vendetta. Abner’s savvy allows him to survive to fight another day, but eventually his analysis proves to be correct; he will lose his life over this battle.
How are we doing in keeping our present connected with our past and our future? Failure to do this may mean failure altogether. Success at this doesn’t guarantee that we’ll always have victory, but it does hold out promise that we’ll live to work on our lives tomorrow.
May God bless us with the wisdom to use the time of our life well.
Ron
2 Samuel 2:12-23 – ESV
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The enlightening light ...
Today, a scripture and prayer to celebrate our Creator:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1 – NRSV
Your world-forming speech
Walter Brueggemann
Light from light
Creation from chaos
Life from death
Joy from sorrow
Hope from despair
Peace from hate
All your gifts, all your love, all your power.
All from your word, fresh from your word,
all gifts of your speech.
We give thanks for your world-forming speech.
Thanks as well for our speech back to you,
the speech of mothers and fathers
who dared to speak
in faith and unfaith
in trust and distrust
in grateful memory and in high hurt.
We cherish this speech as we cherish yours.
Listen this day for the groans and yearnings of your world,
listen to our own songs of joy and our drudges of death,
and in the midst of our stammering
speak your clear word of life
in the name of your word come flesh.
Amen
Blessings,
Ron
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1 – NRSV
Your world-forming speech
Walter Brueggemann
Light from light
Creation from chaos
Life from death
Joy from sorrow
Hope from despair
Peace from hate
All your gifts, all your love, all your power.
All from your word, fresh from your word,
all gifts of your speech.
We give thanks for your world-forming speech.
Thanks as well for our speech back to you,
the speech of mothers and fathers
who dared to speak
in faith and unfaith
in trust and distrust
in grateful memory and in high hurt.
We cherish this speech as we cherish yours.
Listen this day for the groans and yearnings of your world,
listen to our own songs of joy and our drudges of death,
and in the midst of our stammering
speak your clear word of life
in the name of your word come flesh.
Amen
Blessings,
Ron
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Fix your attention on God
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Romans 12:1-8 - (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Blessings,
Ron
I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Romans 12:1-8 - (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Blessings,
Ron
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Dead man walking?
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law — indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Romans 8:1-11 – NRSV
Do we move through this world like a “dead man walking”, moving as if surely the end were too grievous to bear? Is our demeanor defeated? Is our language languid? Or is there something different about us that is visible from how we look and act?
Shouldn’t we instead be men and women who are totally alive? Should not the spirit enliven our appearance in our bodies now that the flesh is no longer our master? Surely we should behave in a way that is consistent with being free forever of condemnation. Surely we should behave like the saved. Surely the Spirit dwells in us, and therefore Jesus is lived through us so that God can be visible in us.
Let us live into our promises today.
Blessings,
Ron
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Romans 8:1-11 – NRSV
Do we move through this world like a “dead man walking”, moving as if surely the end were too grievous to bear? Is our demeanor defeated? Is our language languid? Or is there something different about us that is visible from how we look and act?
Shouldn’t we instead be men and women who are totally alive? Should not the spirit enliven our appearance in our bodies now that the flesh is no longer our master? Surely we should behave in a way that is consistent with being free forever of condemnation. Surely we should behave like the saved. Surely the Spirit dwells in us, and therefore Jesus is lived through us so that God can be visible in us.
Let us live into our promises today.
Blessings,
Ron
Monday, September 15, 2008
World-forming speech
Today, a scripture and prayer:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:1-8 – NRSV
Your world-forming speech
Light from light
Creation from chaos
Life from death
Joy from sorrow
Hope from despair
Peace from hate
All your gifts, all your love, all your power.
All from your word, fresh from your word,
all gifts of your speech.
We give thanks for your world-forming speech.
Thanks as well for our speech back to you,
the speech of mothers and fathers
who dared to speak
in faith and unfaith
in trust and distrust
in grateful memory and in high hurt.
We cherish this speech as we cherish yours.
Listen this day for the groans and yearnings of your world,
listen to our own songs of joy and our drudges of death,
and in the midst of our stammering
speak your clear word of life
in the name of your word come flesh.
Amen
- Walter Brueggemann
Grace and peace,
Ron
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:1-8 – NRSV
Your world-forming speech
Light from light
Creation from chaos
Life from death
Joy from sorrow
Hope from despair
Peace from hate
All your gifts, all your love, all your power.
All from your word, fresh from your word,
all gifts of your speech.
We give thanks for your world-forming speech.
Thanks as well for our speech back to you,
the speech of mothers and fathers
who dared to speak
in faith and unfaith
in trust and distrust
in grateful memory and in high hurt.
We cherish this speech as we cherish yours.
Listen this day for the groans and yearnings of your world,
listen to our own songs of joy and our drudges of death,
and in the midst of our stammering
speak your clear word of life
in the name of your word come flesh.
Amen
- Walter Brueggemann
Grace and peace,
Ron
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