Job 6.1-13, John 3.1-21 - Lectionary for 2/9/10

Today's readings are Job 6.1-13 and John 3.1-21.

After a round of "comfort" from two of his friends, Job answers their suggestions.  As we recall, the friends have suggested that either he is involved in some sort of sin that he has hidden or he is some sort of fool.  In either case Job has been told he is reaping his just deserts, the natural result of his actions.  Here Job maintains his integrity.  He has lived a life of repentance.  He has spent his life faithfully making offerings for his children in case they have sinned.  How much more would we expect he has spent his life making offerings for himself, knowing his sin?  Job stands in his integrity.  If he has been hiding sin or being a fool he would like God to go ahead and cut him off now, rather than let him endure suffering as he is doing.  Job says he would have no complaints if he had denied God's word, but that he does not know where he has gone wrong.

Again we see that Job does not know about the dealings of chapters one and two.  Nor do we know the whole context of the struggles we face.  We do know, as Romans 8 says, that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.  Yet we do not always know what our good is or whether we may endure hardship to spare someone else from greater hardship.  What we do know is that our Lord and Savior, Jesus has endured all manner of hardship on our account.  It is he who sustains us through our difficulties.  It is he who is our eternal reward.  It is he who understands our weakness.  It is he who will redeem us, both body and soul, forever.

Like Job, we don't understand what is happening.  Like Job, may we look to our Lord and know that he in fact does understand what is happening.  May we look in hope and trust.

Job 5.1-27, John 2.13-25 - Lectionary for 2/8/10

Today's readings are Job 5.1-27 and John 2.13-25.

Job's alleged help continues with Eliphaz' speech in chapter 5.  Eliphaz approaches Job's problems through a slightly different lens.  He assumes that since wisdom is rewarded and foolishness is punished Job must have entered into some sort of folly.  His failure to recognize it is further evidence of his folly, for who but a fool would not know he is foolish?  God punishes fools, though he eventually will grant them mercy.  At least Eliphaz gives some hope of mercy and deliverance.  Yet he has a decided one-size-fits-all diagnosis of Job's problems.  Job is most certainly personally responsible for the challenges he is going through.

This simply doesn't fit with the reality of living in a sinful world.  If our world is fallen and cursed, and if people are affected by the actions of other people, we can expect much hardship to come upon us.  It isn't all of our own doing, though much of it certainly is.  Yet many times negative things happen and we had nothing in particular to do with them.  Eliphaz doesn't account for this possibility.

What is Job to do as a result of Eliphaz' counsel?  Hunker down and wait?  He's been doing that already.  In short, Eliphaz identifies a possible problem, asserts that it is the only problem, and tells Job to do what he is already doing.  Maybe he tells Job this because he assumes Job is enough of a fool that he wouldn't have thought of that himself.

Maybe when we see a Job, when we find out we are like Job, we can take greater comfort.  This world is full of evil.  Bad things happen.  Yet we know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has taken that evil upon himself.  He has submitted himself to the evil world.  He overcame all the sin of the world and lives to make intercession for us.  Let us live, even when we are assaulted by evil, in light of that resurrection promise.  Let us live in hope that our Lord has accomplished our salvation and will bring it to pass in full.  Are we foolish?  You bet.  But our Lord came to save fools as well.

Job 4.1-21, John 2.1-12 - Lectionary for 2/7/10

Today's readings are Job 4.1-21 and John 2.1-12.

So much of what we hear seems like good advice.  It has a basis in truth.  Yet there just seems to be something wrong with it.  This is what we start seeing when Job's friends start speaking.  Job himself doesn't know what is going on in his life.  He has not seen the conversation between God and Satan.  Yet he understands himself.  He has considered his way of life.  He has considered his heart.

Eliphaz makes some very good conclusions.  Job is clearly distressed.  As Eliphaz has looked around the world, knowing the kindness of God, he comes to the conclusion that Job must be receiving the penalties for some sin.  After all, God rewards those who are upright in heart and he brings sinners to harm.  Therefore Job is obviously involved in some sort of sin.  Eliphaz is kind to Job and acknowledges in verse 17 that everyone is a sinner in one way or another.  

What Eliphaz says is a generally true thing.  He confesses that we are all sinners.  He confesses that God does not leave sin unpunished.  But does he give Job any hope?  There is no hope at all in this passage.  In effect, he tells Job that he has generally done as well as anyone can, but needs to do better.  This is a message that condemns us all.

How quick we are to advise people on the way they are running their lives before we know what they are going through!  May we rather point them to the love and riches of God in Christ.  There is our hope.  There is what we need.  There is the way we are pure before our Maker.  We stand not in our own integrity and righteousness but in the integrity and righteousness of our Lord and Savior.

Job 3.11-26, John 1.35-51 - Lectionary for 2/6/10

Today's readings are Job 3.11-26 and John 1.35-51.

Job continues his lamentations as he wonders why God has let him live.  Yet I wonder Job is the only one who is tempted in this direction when enduring suffering.  No doubt about it, life can look pretty grim at times.  We look around us and see destruction.  We consider our physical symptoms and can wholeheartedly confess they are downright unpleasant.  We feel that nonspecific pain in our bodies and wonder if it will ever go away.  We burn with fever and think the world will never return to normal.  We are tired and can't rest.  We have things to do and can't do them.  We try to recover from a malady and find that we are incapable of doing anything to make ourselves recover.  Wouldn't it be easier if the Lord were simply to take us to be with him?  Wouldn't it be nice if we were translated into that place where there is no more crying, no more pain, no fear, no suffering at all?

Believe it or not, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has experienced all this.  He left heavenly perfection to take on frail humanity, to walk around with us, to suffer from heat and cold, injury and fatigue.  He is acquainted with our griefs.  He has borne in his body the very same sufferings we bear.  And we can rest assured that our Lord has a purpose in supporting us here in this earthly life, regardless of the situation.  The sovereign Lord would in fact remove us from this earthly existence if he did not have a purpose for us.  That purpose simply may be invisible to us, as it was to Job.  In the mercy of God we live.  In his mercy we endure hardship at times.  In his mercy we look to him who suffered on our behalf and we realize that our sufferings are nothing compared to his.  We long for our heavenly home and we are enabled to express that longing to others, others who do not have a hope in eternity.  We long for our heavenly home and we encourage other believers with that same longing.  We carry some of the suffering of Christ in our bodies and we see that his suffering on our behalf was quite real.  We look to our Lord in hope, knowing that we don't have that hope in ourselves.  We are brought low and we exalt our Lord.

Let us exalt the Lord together, whether in delight or in suffering.

Re: [Alex Kirk means Nurtures the Church] Job 2.1-3.10, John 1.19-34 - Lectionary...

 

Today's readings are Job 2.1-3.10 and John 1.19-34.

Why does Job serve God?  Would he continue to serve God if not only his wealth but also is health were removed from him?  Satan, the opponent and deceiver, would like to demonstrate that in fact people serve God only because of the earthly blessings they receive.  What if God allows Satan to bring physical harm to Job?  God's response is that Satan may bring harm to Job but must not take his life.  We will see later that God is not done with Job.  If Satan simply kills Job all it proves is that Satan is able to kill Job.  If Satan brings suffering on Job we are able to see what Job values.

Under Satan's pressure, Job's body is disfigured.  He is in pain.  He is unfit to be around other people.  His wife suggests he would be better off dead as an unbeliever.  His friends don't even recognize him when they see him.  Yet Job does not curse God and die.  He curses the day that brought him into this fallen world.  And he does that rightly.  Indeed this world is full of trials and pain.  It is cursed for the sake of Adam's sin.  All the descendants of Adam reap the fruit of that curse.  In a very real way the day we are brought into this world is the start of our days of evil.  Of course, it is also the start of our days in the blessing of life, ultimately given, sustained, and coming to its completion in Christ.

How do we deal with suffering?  Do we decide that God must not be blessing us?  Do we say we are fine "as long as health remains"?  What then?  Is it then the time to turn our back on our Lord?  When we realize the frailty of humanity on earth, do we decide that we are too good for that?  Do we thus exalt ourselves above our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who took on human flesh, lived among us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried?  Let it never be!  Whatever our earthly circumstances might be, they say nothing conclusive about God's work in our lives.  We do not know the whole story.  We are under the protection of our Lord while we have this life.  By faith we are heirs of all the promises of God in the life to come.  This temporal suffering is nothing compared to the glory to be revealed.  Let us look to our heavenly home rather than our earthly home.  Like Job, let us recognize the curse of sin and at the same time recognize the blessing of the God who ever lives.

Job 1.1-22, John 1.1-18 - Lectionary for 2/4/10

Today's readings are Job 1.1-22 and John 1.1-18.

I wonder sometimes what it would be like to have the same perspective our Lord has on this world.  In the introduction to Job we take a heaven's-eye view and see Job's righteousness, his concern for his children, the cause of the destruction of his family and property, and the beginning of Job's reaction.  Of course, it would be incredibly painful to truly see things as our Lord sees them.  But it is incredibly painful for our Lord and Savior to see the plight of mankind.  Man's offenses before the holy God invoke God's righteous wrath.  He is not called "longsuffering" for nothing.  Knowing what we know of Job's situation leads us to view his actions and the actions of his comforters quite differently.

What is Job's concern?  He is above all concerned that his family may be a godly family.  He makes sacrifice on their behalf in case they have sinned.  He is faithful to God in all he does.  Job is quite the righteous person.  

What is Satan's goal?  He thinks Job serves God because of all the blessings God has poured out on Job.  His desire is to lie, kill, destroy, and steal.  Yet he is unable to do so without God's permission.  Luther famously said that Satan is God's devil.  He may think he is doing his own will but in reality he is restrained by the Holy Spirit.  He is unable to harm God's chosen people.  He is harmful, no doubt, but we may think of him as a ferocious dog on a chain.  As long as we are out of range we are perfectly safe.

What is God doing here?  We can't speak for God.  He doesn't say specifically.  Yet it seems fairly clear that among other hings he is showing Satan that Job is faithful regardless of tribulation.  He is probably showing Job something about where his sufficiency lies.  We don't know how many other things God is doing in the book of Job.  Let it suffice to say that he is very active.

What does all this have to do with us?  When we receive blessings or challenges do we respond like Job, in faith?  Do we rather respond like selfish fallen people who really want our own way?  I've been in some challenging situations lately and I can tell you my tendency has been to respond in faithlessness.  I don't want to trust God.  I want to go ahead about things my own way.  I want to despair.  I endure hardship and I want to lash out to people and make them feel some hardship too.  It seems this is one of the most common responses people have to hardship.  How about when it comes to blessings?  When we receive God's blessing do we treat it as a blessing from God or do we treat it as something we deserve?  Do we say it's about time our Lord recognized we were people he wanted to bless?  Do we then complain because someone else seems to have a blessing we would like?

We all fall into temptation, whether in easy times or difficult times.  May we, like Job, look to our Lord and Savior.  May we confess that the Lord's name is blessed forever.

Zechariah 14.1-21, Titus 2.7-3.15 - Lectionary for 2/3/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 14.1-21 and Titus 2.7-3.15.

Are all those who worship with us part of the true Church?  We can look around us on a Sunday and see a room (hopefully) full of people hearing the Scripture, praying, giving thanks  to the Lord.  Yet are these all members of Christ's true invisible Church by faith?  We've seen in Zechariah how God uses struggles and deliverance to call people to himself, to create faith in their hearts.  Yet not all seem to remain in that faith.  As we read today there is yet to come a time of final judgment.  God will pour out his wrath against unbelief everywhere, not just outside of his chosen city, Jerusalem (aka, the Church).  He is going to extend it to the people of Jerusalem themselves, saving those who are believing in him and rejecting those who are not believing.  He also will draw people who believe from every nation.  After this judgment is a time of blessing and unity because unbelief has been destroyed.

Today let us turn to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in belief, knowing that he has in fact borne the wrath of God against unbelievers in his death on the cross.  Let us turn to him in hope of the resurrection, knowing that he is risen from the dead.  Let us turn to him for comfort, knowing that he is acquainted with grief and has borne our suffering.  Let us turn to him for protection, knowing that he is lord of all.  Let us not be found in unbelief, but be found trusting him.  And let us look to him in hope and comfort, knowing that he will in no way cast out those who trust in him.

Zechariah 12.1-13.9, Titus 1.1-2.6 - Lectionary for 2/2/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 12.1-13.9 and Titus 1.1-2.6.

Zechariah draws a sharp distinction between his people and those who are not his people in today's reading.  Notice that even as people are besieging Jerusalem, coming against God's people to harm them, our Lord and Savior will make Jerusalem a stronghold that cannot be conquered.  Simultaneously he pours out a spirit on his people who look on the God they have rejected.  Notice it is God's chosen people who have rejected him.  He moves them to repentance and to pleas for forgiveness as they realize their sin.  See the Messianic prophecy, that the people will "look on...him whom they have pierced" (v. 10, ESV) and mourn.

How have we pierced our Lord?  Have we denied him?  Have we lived a life as if our Lord and Savior does not matter?  Have we looked to ourselves for our safety from enemies?  Have we considered that we are pleasing to God by our own works and that Christ's merit does not matter?  Have we thought that we would be able to do things better than God?  Have we thought that something isn't in Scripture but that it really should be?  Do we mourn without hope, as if our Lord has not already conquered sin and death?  No doubt we have pierced our Lord.  

Yet how does our Lord treat us?  He pours out on us a spirit of repentance, which is the spirit which should characterize every Christian.  He gives us a heart to plead for mercy.  He gives us a realization of our sin.  He gives us a realization of the magnitude of his salvation.  He shows us that he is indeed the only true God, one God in Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  He shows us that we overcome not by our own ability but by believing that he has overcome on our behalf. 

Lord, we have mistreated you.  We have not believed as we ought.  We have not acted as we ought.  We deserve your everlasting punishment, yet we see that in your mercy you have taken our punishment on yourself.  Grant us your forgiveness and a trust in the peace that you have made, the peace of the cross.  Amen.

Zechariah 11.4-17, 2 Timothy 4.1-18 - Lectionary for 2/1/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 11.4-17 and 2 Timothy 4.1-18.

What must it be like for our God to condemn sinners?  Of course we can't fully explain God.  We don't understand him fully.  What we do know for certain from Scripture is this.  God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, has decreed that people must be faithful to his commands.  Because of man's sin, God decreed that man was cursed.  He has provided one way, and only one way, revealed in Scripture, to release people from the curse of sin.  That one way is by trusting in the perfect righteousness of Christ on their behalf.  Abraham trusted in God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.  We are saved by grace through faith.  It is not of works.  That's what the Bible reveals to us.  It isn't my idea.  It isn't the idea of a bunch of theologians who wanted to dominate society.  It was written at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by people who had nothing at all to gain and everything to lose in earthly terms.  By faith in Christ all the apostles except John were executed.  By the testimony of Christ crucified and raised from the dead the early Church was persecuted by the world.  This is not some sort of power grab.  It's quite the opposite.

So when God says he does not delight in the death of sinners, when God says that he hates sin and that the sinner along with the sin will perish, what should we do?  I guess we'd better take him at his word.  Is God cruel?  No, but he is being consistent with the way he created the world.  He requires nothing but trust in him to redeem us from the curse of sin.  If we try to be the mediator of our own salvation, he allows us to do so, but warns us we will fail.

How much does it grieve the Lord?  Look what happens in Zechariah.  Picture yourself.  You are able to be a good master, a good shepherd of a flock.  You are able to care for the foolish but endearing animals.  You are able to see them thrive, grow, reproduce, and live to be an ever-increasing resources, suitable to profit from in a wise manner forever.  Yet against your desire, you are to let the selfish people who have been exploiting them go ahead and run the flock to destruction. You are commanded to warn the people about their impending destruction.  You even inflict penalties on some of the pseudo-shepherds who exploit the flock.  You then withdraw your favor and allow the bad shepherds to engage in their destructive behavior without restraint.  All you have ordered, all you have prepared, all the delight that would be possible is squandered by those you allow to go on in their sinful ways.  Do you think this would grieve you?  I hope it would.  It certainly grieves our Lord, but he lets sinful man go in his sinful way, bringing the ultimate fruit of that sinful life, destruction, upon himself.

To this very dark period in Israel's history, our reading in Zechariah gives us no direct light.  We are left with a message of destruction and defeat.  But let us remember the good shepherd our Lord raised up, the shepherd Jesus Christ, whose flock hears his voice and turns to him in love and trust.  May we, like they, look to the good Shepherd, not to the bad shepherds who are all around us.  May we see that he in fact is the one who leads us, who provides us with all our needs, who comforts us, and who will see us grow and multiply, providing for the life and well being of many in this world.  Let us look to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Thanks be to the true Shepherd of this flock of humanity.

Zechariah 10.1-11.3, 2 Timothy 3.1-17 - Lectionary for 1/31/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 10.1-11.3 and 2 Timothy 3.1-17.

In today's reading from Zechariah we see our Lord seemingly stop and reflect on his work and on the distinction between his chosen people and those who have persecuted them.  While we can mine the passage to see what is on God's heart, I'd like to take a different tack.  I realize that, like God himself, it is good for his people to reflect on the way the Lord has blessed them and on the way he has withheld his blessing from some others.

Does this lead to a holier-than-thou attitude?  I hope it doesn't.  Rather, I hope it leads to a deep sense of gratitude for God's mercy.  After all, we confess that Jesus died for everyone's sins and that all people who believe in this work of Christ see that they are adopted as sons of God and joint heirs of the heavenly realms.  Our desire is that all should believe, just as our Lord's stated desire is.

So how has the Lord blessed us?  As we think we can count innumerable blessings.  If there's anything good that has ever happened in our lives, that is a blessing from God.  It has not happened without his providential care.  For that matter, we can look on our troubles and see that ultimately they are all evidence of the reality of sin in the world, of the fact that we are prone to suffer and that we need someone to ransom us from this suffering.  

What perspective is the unbeliever left with?  Sadly, if we think we are the arbiter of our life, we see that suffering is something with no lasting benefits.  We take the ultimate glory for anything good that happens, though many things, we must realize, simply happen without our control.  We find that life is transient, ephemeral, and that we have no ultimate anchor in our lives.  This is a sad situation indeed, a position which is hard to imagine.  Yet that is the ultimate outcome of any faith that looks inward, to the individual, to the culture, or to one's own goodness in the world.

It's the same world, the same reality.  So which is true?  Is everything meaningless?  Is there someone lovingly governing the world and all its affairs to bring us to him and the delight we can have in him?  History clearly seems to show that the events around Jesus' death and resurrection are based in reality, though they are doubtless claims to a supernatural.  There are more or less contemporary records of eyewitnesses who had nothing to gain by giving the testimony they did falsely.  The evidence is quite as reliable as the evidence for countless other events in antiquity.  Why do we dispute it?  Why do we not rather realize and believe that Jesus did exactly what the Scripture says - died for our sins and lives for our righteousness?  Let us look to him in faith.

Zechariah 9.1-17, 2 Timothy 2.1-26 - Lectionary for 1/30/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 9.1-17 and 2 Timothy 2.1-26.

Through Zechariah God pronounces his judgment on the enemies of Israel today.  I think one of the most striking marks of God's judgment shows up in the second portion of verse 5.  "Ekron also [shall see God's judgment and writhe in anguish] because its hopes are confounded" (ESV).  We are very much the same way.  We see God's judgment and find that our hopes are confounded.  If we have built our hope on our ability, if we have built our hope on our wealth or safety, our economic or moral potential, our hopes are confounded by God's judgment.  We see that God proclaims all our efforts to be worthless.  He proclaims that all our efforts are sin because they are founded on our own desires, corrupted by Adam's sin.  We think we can replace the living God by our own imaginations and actions.  God reminds us that we cannot.

How else does our Lord controvert our ideas of honor, glory and power?  See what happens in verses 9-17.  The Lord comes.  The king enters Jerusalem.  Is he a great and mighty warrior?  He is humble.  Is he on a war horse at the head of a mighty army?  He is sitting on a young donkey.  Does he speak judgment to the rulers?  He allows them to judge him.  Does he slay his accusers?  He rather dies on a cross.  Yet on the third day he shows that he is the victor over the enemies none of us can conquer - death, hell and the grave.  He shows that he is the bringer of eternal life as he demonstrates that he is the resurrection.  He is the one who sets the prisoners free.  He is the one who shows the impotence of his enemies.  This is our Lord Jesus Christ.  He has confounded the hopes of all who hope in themselves.

May we hope in our Lord today.

Zechariah 8.1-23, 2 Timothy 1.1-18 - Lectionary for 1/29/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 8.1-23 and 2 Timothy 1.1-18.

What does our Lord promise through Zechariah today?  We see a promise of a return from captivity.  Just as the Lord is able to send his people into captivity and scatter them throughout the world, he is able to gather them into their homeland again.  In fact, the Lord says specifically that he is just as able to keep them in peace and safety as he is to cast them away.  But his desire is to keep his people in peace and safety.  That has been his desire since the foundation of the world.  That will always be our Lord's desire.

It is difficult to conceive of a God who deeply loves his people and is able to do anything, yet at the same time who allows them to separate themselves from him by their selfish desires.  Yet that is exactly the kind of Lord we see in the Scripture.  If we can keep this in mind, it may make more sense of some very difficult statements in the Scripture.  For instance, we read that God does not wish that anyone would perish but that everyone would come to repentance.  The fact that he doesn't make everyone come to repentance is rooted in the idea that God does allow people to flee from him due to their own desires.  What about the statements that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole world?  There are many universalistic statements in the New Testament.  Yet we see not everyone is saved from their sin.  This is also explained by the idea that people are able to flee from God's ways and try to make their own way.

The fact remains, though, that Jesus gave himself as a ransom for the sins of the whole world.  He boldly died to pay the penalty of God, to appease the wrath of the righteous God against sinful man.  Jesus, the second Adam, died for the sins of the first Adam and all of his descendants.  He has purchased our salvation.  Do we flee that?  Or do we  trust that.  

Lord, let us run to you in trust, realizing that you are able to keep your people forever.  Amen.

Zechariah 6.1-7.14, Romans 16.17-27 - Lectionary for 1/28/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 6.1-7.14 and Romans 16.17-27.

Today we see our Lord sending his messengers out into all the world, calling people together to him.  God's presence is exemplified in the presence of his high priest, Joshua.  Notice that Joshua and Jesus are parallel names, just like, for instance, Roberto and Robert.  God's call goes out into all the world.  He tells the people what to do.  And see how all these things he says to do in chapter seven verses nine and ten are things we would agree are good.  Most of us even think we do them pretty well.  But our Lord points out that "pretty well" is not good enough.  To be acceptable to the perfect God we must be perfect as he is perfect.  This we will never do.

What is our response to this giving of the Law?  Do we harden our hearts as the people of Israel did?  Do we try our best not to hear?  Do we try to minimize the force of the Law so it won't kill us?  We, like those Israelites, tend to do that very thing.  We try not to hear God's Law which condemns us.  We try to evade the full impact of his commands.  This is what we dare not do.

What then do we do?  We look to Joshua, God's high priest, Jesus, the prophet, priest, and king, who has given a sacrifice for us, once and for all, on our behalf, becoming himself both the priest and the sacrifice.  We look to the risen Lord in hope.  We confess that Jesus in fact died as a substitute for us.  He also lives as a substitute for us.  When our Lord looks at us, he sees Jesus.  When God looks at our behavior, he sees the behavior of Jesus.  When God pours out his judgment and wrath on the world, he has already poured it out on Jesus.  We simply look in faith.

Do we then live however we want?  Do we settle for "pretty good" or decide that even that doesn't matter?  No.  We do not wish to grieve our Lord who has given himself on our behalf.  Do we really want to inflict pain on the one who has borne all our grief?  May it never be.  Yet as we go around doing the acts of kindness that our society needs, the things we can do to serve and love our neighbors, let us remember that it is not these which save us.  It is only Jesus standing in our place, working on our behalf who saves us.

Lord, give us the grace to realize the difference between doing works of kindness to show our neighbors some of your kindness and doing works of kindness to try to earn your favor.  May we serve our neighbors and delight in being used as vessels of your grace.  May we look to your perfect life, death, and resurrection on our behalf to rejoice in the life you have prepared for us.

Zechariah 4.1-5.11, Romans 15.14-33 - Lectionary for 1/27/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 4.1-5.11 and Romans 15.14-33.

Our Old Testament reading today makes me think it was a difficult bit of self-discipline to plan on writing about the Old Testament readings.  This passage in Zechariah seems difficult.  It is full of highly symbolic language.  Yet I think once we get beyond some of the symbolic language we will see a prophecy full of power and encouragement.

First, notice the lamps and the oil.  Oil and lamps are frequently signs of God's presence and provision.  They bring light, warmth, and all manner of blessing.  Notice the number seven associated with the lamps and recall that things presented in sevens often indicate completeness.  So we open with a sign of complete provision.  In the midst of that sign we see the human king completing the building project he has going on.

After the sign of God's provision and human prosperity and peace we see another scene.  A scroll with curses on evildoers will go through the land.  There is a verbal aspect to God's judgment.  With his word, our Lord will judge and defeat all evil, even as he provides his blessing on his faithful king and the king's subjects.

We then see the sign of the evil woman in the basket.  She is sealed up so she cannot get out and spread her evil.  She is deported to a land far away - the land of Shinar, Babylon, where all manner of evil is kept.

What does this have to do with us?  We see that our Lord has promised to provide for his people and to build a kingdom.  Through the death of Jesus on our behalf he has provided for eternal rescue.  He has built his kingdom, a kingdom without borders, through the Church.  He shines all the light the world needs, providing for everyone.  His curse has fallen upon evil, which he purges and deports.  One day he will put a final end to evil through his coming in judgment.  And we cannot but think of the narrative in Revelation where Babylon is depicted as an evil lady.  She is judged and defeated.

Christ has defeated sin and death.  We can trust in his provision.  Yet at the same time we can look for his final judgment on sin and death.  How do we stand in the day of judgment?  Only by trust that our Lord has in fact accomplished what he has said.  Let us then look to him in faith and rejoice in his victory.

Zechariah 2.1-3.10, Romans 15.1-13 - Lectionary for 1/26/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 2.1-3.10 and Romans 15.1-13.

There are some situations in life that make people wonder what is happening to them.  I have experienced very few of these, thankfully.  But I think of the Christians in times and places where to name the name of Christ is criminal.  I think of people who are in areas that have experienced great natural disasters, such as the people of Haiti in the past two weeks.  Just when you think you might be alive, just when you think you might start to breathe again, you are confronted with yet another attack, yet another aftershock, yet another devastating situation.  What is a person to do?

Quite frankly, without the hope we find in Christ, if we are convinced that this world is all there is, that we are either impermanent or that our permanent state depends on some sort of irrational process, there is no reason whatsoever for hope.  When confronted with a very serious situation, we may think it would be better just to roll over and die.  Our world is quickly developing a culture of suicide where people who decide this world is all they have will choose to leave their life rather than face difficulties or allow themselves to burden others.  Yet they do this at their own peril.  The Scripture plainly says that all people have an eternal life, either in the blessed presence of God by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, or in the agonizing absence of God by faith in our own doings.

What hope does the Christian have?  Look to the third chapter of Zechariah and see.  When we are accused, when we are attacked, when we face every sort of oppression, we are standing in the presence of God and his holy angels.    Our Lord and Savior is telling the enemy not to lay a hand on us.  Our God promises that we will be protected, that ultimately no harm will come to his people.  No harm?   Right, no harm.  Though I lose all I have, including my health and my very life, no harm will come to me in Christ.  I am perfectly safe in the arms of my Lord and Savior, who has given all on my behalf.  There is none who can harm me.  Now there's confidence.

Zechariah 1.1-21, Romans 14.1-23 - Lectionary for 1/25/10

Today's readings are Zechariah 1.1-21 and Romans 14.1-23.

How long will the Lord allow his people to suffer?  This is the cry which has been raised in every age since the beginning of time.  As the people of Israel have been taken captive and gained their release, time and again, their cry rises up to the Lord.  How long will we be in bondage?  How long will we be in suffering?  Likewise, those persecuted for their faith in Christ have called out in eager expectation for the deliverance yet to come, full and final redemption of body and soul together in heaven, the resurrection of all who believe on Christ.  

Our Lord assures his people.  He has returned with mercy.  He has come to judge the nations.  He fully understands the plight of his people.  He fully understands the situation of those who oppress his people.  And he fully understands what will happen to the oppressors when he comes in judgment.  Our Lord will come in judgment to deal with those who have rejected him.  From that judgment there will be no deliverance.

Lord, grant your people patience to wait on you.  Grant repentance to those who persecute your people.  Remind us of your mercy and grace.

Joel 3.1-21, Romans 12.14-13.14 - Lectionary for 1/24/10

Today's readings are Joel 3.1-21 and Romans 12.14-13.14.

See today our Lord's call to the unbelievers through Joel.  We see as we look at his claims upon them that we too often act as unbelievers.  Do we think we will provide what we need?  Do we think we enter into service to God in order to supply what he needs?  Do we view ourselves as doing works that are pleasing to our Lord in and of themselves?  Do we give to God so that he has what he needs?  This is entirely backwards.  It is a work to earn our own salvation.  In the end it earns not salvation but condemnation.  What does the Lord say to us when we strive to bring ourselves into the good graces of God?  He says we are welcome to try.  He has provided all we need for life, hope, salvation through Jesus Christ.  But if we wish to pay him back, if we wish to earn his favor, he will allow us to try.  Sadly, tragically, we realize from Scripture that we are utterly unable to succeed in this attempt.  

Do we wish to earn our salvation?  The Lord allows us to try and to go to heaven based on our merits.  Yet we will never do so.  Our attempt to pay our own way is entirely futile.  It is an offense to God, who has provided our way in Jesus Christ.  Yet he has left it to us.  If we insist, as the pagans do, we may try to earn our forgiveness, instead earning our condemnation.  The final analysis is whether we trust ourselves or we trust in our Lord.  

Lord, you who have perfectly paid the penalty for our sin through living a sinless life, giving yourself to death on our behalf, and showing yourself victorious over death, hell and the grave, grant that we also may trust in your righteousness for eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Joel 2.18-32, Romans 11.25-12.13 - Lectionary for 1/23/10

Today's readings are Joel 2.18-32 and Romans 11.25-12.13.

After Joel has depicted Israel being brought down by the enemies they cannot possibly combat, he moves into a poetic proclamation of what the Lord is going to do for his people.  As the people turn to God in repentance and faith he makes these promises - to provide them with the grain, wine and oil that they need.  He will pour out on them abundance of all they need.  Their crops will be so abundant they will not be able to use all they have.  Not only will the Lord pour out all the food and drink they need, but the Lord will pour out his Spirit on his people.  They will be prophets, they will see the heavenly things, they will speak of God's person and revelation.

We see in the beginning of the book of Acts where this has been fulfilled.  Our Lord has poured out his Spirit.  He has created a new place of forgiveness and nurture for his people, the Church.  He incorporates people into the Church by faith, through the work of hte Holy Spirit, with repentance, confession, baptism, and the apostles' doctrine.  He has raised up a mighty army, mightier than the invading locusts, bringing blessing to all the world.

Our Lord has done all this to bring glory to himself.  He has done all of it to remind all nations that he is in fact the one in whom all the world holds together, the one who supplies all the needs of this world according to his good pleasure.  Do we live in the light of this?  Let us realize it and turn to our Lord in confession of who he is, in delight for his provision, and in hope that he will in fact bring to pass all that he has said.

Joel 2.1-17, Romans 11.1-24 - Lectionary for 1/22/10

Today's readings are joel 2.1-17 and Romans 11.1-24.

We continue seeing this army Joel depicts, attacking Zion.  As we remember from chapter 1 it could be locusts or it could be a human army, metaphorically described.  It seems from this passage that he is referring to literal locusts.  See how they destroy everything and "eat stubble."  They blot out the sun by making a great cloud.  Humans burning and plundering can do that, but it's very much less likely before the time of gunpowder.  These attackers enter through windows and doors, while human attackers are much more likely to storm a building and enter through doors or even breaking down walls.  Yet the walls of the city and the buildings seem to remain intact.

What's the response?  Blow a trumpet.  Sound an alarm.  Fight back, but realize your fight will be unproductive.  You cannot resist the enemy God has brought against you.  The Lord's servants cannot be stopped.  Blow a trumpet and call for repentance.  These enemies have come to draw you closer to the Lord.  These enemies show you that your life consists in depending on the Lord rather than on your own wealth, toil, and resources.  None of what we have provided for ourselves can withstand a time when the God of the universe takes everything away.

Do we turn to our Lord in faith?  Do we trust that Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, has truly given his life as a ransom for ours?  Do we realize daily the folly of our self-centered opinions, our dreams, our goals?  Do we come to our Lord in repentance to ask forgiveness for our haughty attitude?  Do we submit our plans and our future to our Lord, knowing that it is he who is coming one day to judge the living and the dead?  Do we trust that our Lord's desire is for our good, not for our evil?  Do we realize that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ?  Let us look to him day by day, moment by moment.  Sound a trumpet call to repentance and faith.

Joel 1.1-20, Romans 10.1-21 - Lectionary for 1/21/10

Today's readings are Joel 1.1-20 and Romans 10.1-21.

Joel faces a terrible situation.  His homeland has been ravaged.  Is it a plague of locusts?  Is it a plague of invaders being pictured as locusts?  We don't know.  What we do know is that his homeland has been ravaged, time and again, until there are no resources.  Those who remain are dealing with famine and disease.  The society is shattered.

What hope is there?  If our hope is in this world only we are quickly out of hope.  An earthquake, a flood, a landslide, a drought, a medical condition - anything can happen.  We are in an uncertain position, all of us.  We are all quite vulnerable, no matter how many walls of defense we build, no matter how many insurance policies we hold, no matter how we have stockpiled our resources or sought to become self-sufficient.  We all are in a precarious position in this life.  Our health and safety can be taken away at any time through all sorts of means.  If our hope is in this world only, it perishes quickly.

Where then is our hope?  As with the people to whom Joel spoke, our hope is also in the Lord.  Our Lord who does not perish, our Lord who was victorious over death, hell and the grave, our Lord the one crucified for our sins and raised for our justification - our hope can be in him.  He, the deathless one who graciously rules heaven and earth, has called a people by his name, has delivered them in and through all their troubles, and will bring them safely to their eternal home.  Our hope is not in this world only.  Our hope is in the Lord of heaven and earth.  All our struggles in this temporal life should lead us to look to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Lord, give us faith to trust you rather than ourselves and our circumstances.

Ezekiel 47.1-14, 21-23; Romans 9.19-33 - Lectionary for 1/20/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 47.1-14, 21-23 and Romans 9.19-33.

Look today at the water which flows from the temple of God.  Ezekiel sees it coming out, first a trickle, then a stream, then a mighty river.  This water, flowing from God's altar, is water which takes that which is unclean and unusable and makes it clean, pure, a blessing to every nation, the hope and sustenance of all people who come in contact with it.  It brings food and water in the desert places.  It cleanses the people.  It is mightier than the other water it contacts, even purifying the sea water.

What is the point of this narrative in Ezekiel?  What have we seen?  Most obviously we see that throughout Ezekiel salvation is of the Lord, by his plan, according to his qualifications.  It begins and ends with the proclamation of God.  So how are we saved?  Our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life to appease the wrath of God against unrighteousness.  He lives so we might live only by trust in his work.  And he has commanded his apostles to go, discipling by baptizing and teaching.  It is difficult to avoid the idea of a washing with water here.  God has appointed a washing with water to heal his people.  

Have we been baptized into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the Scriptures?  We can have confidence that our Lord has claimed us.  We can live confidently in the hope of the resurrection, knowing that our resurrected Lord has died for our sins.  We can look to this cleansing of baptism as something which will affect our entire life as we will be reminded of our Lord's work to purchase a people to himself. 

What of people who have believed but have not been baptized?  We have every confidence that they too are Christ's people.  But we would ask why they have not been baptized.  That is the pattern we see in the New Testament.  All people who realize Christ has died for their sins are baptized.  It is something our Lord and Savior has given us.  It is not to be neglected.

Rejoice that the Lord has given himself for the cleansing of the world!

Ezekiel 44.1-16, 23-29; Romans 9.1-18 - Lectionary for 1/19/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 44.1-16, 23-29 and Romans 9.1-18.

Our Lord has established eternal blessedness for those who are his people.  Yet see how he has appointed a way we receive that blessedness, through Word and Sacrament.  We do not have the authority to proclaim a different way of salvation.  We do not have the authority to proclaim any different Gospel than that which our Lord and Savior has proclaimed in Scripture and by his perfect life and death on our behalf and his glorious resurrection as the firstfruits from the dead.  Anything else is our working out our salvation on our own terms by our own righteousness.  God has specifically forbidden that.  We dare not contradict him in this.  As Ezekiel sees, there is one way of access to the Lord, and it is the way he has created and proclaimed to us.

What is our response?  Is God narrow-minded?  No, he is specific.  That is much different.  There is no other way that is appointed to us that we should be saved but by faith in Christ, the living God.  This is the right way.  There is no other.  It is the way that our Lord has graciously prepared.  And see what a way it is!  It does not require us to earn our salvation.  It does not require us to do enough good works to be counted as righteous.  It does not require that we make sacrifice after sacrifice.  Unlike paganism, it does not require that we guess what might be pleasing to God.  Unlike humanism it is not mediated by our errors.  Unlike naturalism it is rooted in something that we cannot see so we do not need to worry when our natural world looks like it isn't working too well.  Salvation is of the Lord, according to the grace he has given and the pattern he has revealed.  Rejoice in God's working.

Ezekiel 40.1-4, 43.1-12; Romans 8.18-39 - Lectionary for 1/18/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 40.104, 43.1-12 and Romans 8.18-39.

Ezekiel sees the temple of God, holy to the Lord.  In his vision he sees something that we cannot build, something we cannot express.  He sees the real presence of the Lord with his people.  In effect, he sees the invisible Church.  It is the place, the gathering, the presence of the triune God, our Lord and Savior's purchased people, gathered for his glory, purchased out of every nation to live for God incarnate, Jesus Christ the Lord.  In our fellowship with Christ we are gathered together in the holy name of the Lord.  We have put aside the idolatry which we once served.  We have been brought into the true fellowship of Christ.  This is the body that is holy to the Lord.  It is the living temple of God.

Do we realize we are the living stones in the temple of God?  Do we realize that we are the home of the Holy Spirit?  Do we realize that when we extend our hands in service we are doing the very service of our Lord?  Do we realize that this is the fellowship our Lord has purchased by his blood and which he binds together by baptism and holy communion?  

May the Lord impress this image on us.

Ezekiel 39.1-01, 17-29; Romans 7.21-8.17 - Lectionary for 1/17/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 39.1-10, 17-29 and Romans 7.21-8.17.

Ezekiel's prophecy points out something that runs completely counter to what our modern version of Christianity would think.  See how God is going to exalt himself?  He is going to exalt himself by bringing enemies against his people.  He is going to exalt himself by showing his people that they are not able to overcome their enemies.  He is going to exalt himself by bringing victory over the enemies of his people, and by gathering his people out of adversity.  He does not exalt himself by keeping them from all adversity but rather by delivering them out of adversity.  This is the work of the Lord and it is good.  This is deliverance, not that we avoid all troubles but that our Lord rescues us from trouble. 

For this reason, confession and absolution are central to our life in Christ.  Daily we confess that we are sinners.  Daily we confess that we are without hope except that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has laid down his life for us.  Daily we confess that we cannot earn forgiveness by ourselves.  And we daily confess that Christ in his mercy has forgiven us.  We daily confess that Christ has given himself, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.  We receive deliverance because we need deliverance.  We are rescued from very real sin.  We are brought out of very real condemnation into the very real forgiveness of God.

Have we received this forgiveness?  Let us then live in hope.  Let us rejoice that our Lord has in fact rescued us.  Let us confess that we have been gathered from bondage into the freedom given us by our Lord.  Let us rejoice that we have received this deliverance from real sin, that we could not deliver ourselves, and that our Lord has done all that is needed for us.

Ezekiel 37.15-28, Romans 6.1-23 - Lectionary for 1/15/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 37.15-28 and Romans 6.1-23.

Our Lord gives Ezekiel a sign - the sign of two divided sticks brought together to be one stick.  Though the sins of Israel have scattered them, cast them through all the world, ruined their unity as a people, the Lord is going to bring them together into one.  They will once again be unified.  See that God's servant David will be their king.  This is clearly a messianic prophecy.  In the fullness of time, when Christ has come, he gathers the people together from every nation, tribe and tongue.  He gathers them into one people.  He is their shepherd.  He is their caretaker, their savior, their ruler.  It is in Christ that we find unity.  It is in Christ that we find safety.  It is in Christ that we are gathered from where our sins have scattered us.  It is in Christ that we find our unity and our identity.  Let us look to Christ, the king who sits on the throne of David, an everlasting throne, the ruler of an everlasting kingdom.  Let us trust in his mercy and his governance.

Ezekiel 36,33-37.14, Romans 5.1-21 - Lectionary for 1/14/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 36.33-37.14 and Romans 5.1-21.

Ezekiel has been hammering people with God's Law.  He is putting for God's righteous requirement that they act in a holy manner and that they engage in living belief that is in accord with that behavior.  I put those two statements in that order on purpose.  Israel, like many of us, knew that God's holy people need to act in a holy way.  They realized their failure.  Undone sacrifices, priests who were not working as priests because they were finding their other careers more lucrative, Sabbaths ignored, all manner of failure to keep God's requirements.  Yet even more importantly, they were starting to realize that their failure ran deeper than their behavior.  They were condemned for being unbelieving.

We also realize, if we take a moment, that our actions are replete with sin and error.  When we consider it, we see that our actions are rooted in unbelief.  We know how we should believe, that we should love and trust our Lord with all our heart.  Day after day we realize and confess that we do not love and trust our Lord in all things.  We also realize that we are unable to do so.  What rescue is there for us?

Look at what Ezekiel says today.  There is nothing that is so dead that  cannot bring it to life.  There is nothing so desolate that he cannot plant it to be a fruitful garden.  There are no skeletal remains that are so ruined he cannot give them integrity, flesh, and life.  There is nobody, nothing, that is outside of the ability of our Lord and Savior to bring redemption.  And how does he redeem this world to himself?  He does it through his Word.  Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, speaks himself into our hearts and lives, brings us repentance, purchases our forgiveness, makes us no longer disjointed skeletal remains, but turns us to people who are truly living in him.  He takes our barren wasteland and makes it a fruitful garden.  He does this through his Word.  Look to the Scripture, God's record of the Word of God incarnate.  Look to baptism in which we are joined to our Lord through the washing of regeneration.  Look to communion in which we become partakers of the living Word of God.  In him we live and move and have our being.  In him all things hold together.  In him are all the riches of the Godhead in bodily form.  This is our great Lord and Savior. 

Lord, let us look to your fullness, not to our brokenness.

Ezekiel 36.13-28, Romans 4.1-25 - Lectionary for 1/13/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 36.13-28 and Romans 4.1-25.

Today through Ezekiel our Lord condemns Israel for their unfaithfulness.  Why?  Because it is destructive to them?  Only in part.  See that our Lord's complaint is that Israel in bondage brings shame to the name of God.  Just look at these people.  They are sinful and in bondage, and they are supposed to be God's people.  He must not be the kind of God they say he is.  He must not be the kind of God I'd want to depend on.

We see very much the same situation in modern Western society.  One of the prime reasons I've run into that people don't wish to believe in Christ is quite frankly the way Christians act.  And it isn't because of their genuine piety, faithfulness, longsuffering, and desire to seek the truth in Scriptures.  It is because of the way our cultural Christianity acts.  It is because of the stereotype of Christians as people who are selfish, lazy, narrow-minded, and concerned primarily with looking good and overeating at their fellowship dinners.  Alas, this stereotype comes from somewhere.  It comes from actual practices of our cultural Christianity.

Let us flee this kind of behavior.  It brings shame to Christ.  Yet in our flight, let us look to the promises God gives through Ezekiel near the end of today's reading.  Do we flee this idiocy in our own strength?  Not at all.  Our Lord is giving us a heart to understand, a heart to repent, a heart to turn to him in faith.  We flee this culture which brings shame to Christ not in our own power but in the power our Lord has promised us.  We flee this Christian ghetto by the power of the Holy Spirit, living and active in us.  We flee it through the power of the resurrected Christ, who has borne our sin and shame to his death, giving us life.  Will our world criticize us for our love and faithfulness?  Yes.  Let them criticize away.  They criticized our Lord and Savior for the very same things.  But if we incur reproach, let it be for a genuine Christian life, that life which does actually bring honor to our Lord.

Ezekiel 34.1-24, Romans 3.19-31 - Lectionary for 1/12/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 34.1-24 and Romans 3.19-31.

What kind of shepherd does our God desire for his flock?  In today's reading Ezekiel the priest and prophet condemns the situation he sees in Israel.  He and his brother priests, the children of Aaron, have failed in their God-given shepherding task.  They provide some comfort for the flock, but not much.  They care for the flock just enough to get what they want from it - - their food and drink.  This is the work of a bad shepherd.  This is the work of a bully among the flock, not of a good custodian of the flock.  Our God will not endure such neglect.  He will cast out he bad shepherds.  He will prevent them from eating from the flock.  He will gather the flock to himself and appoint a new shepherd, the shepherd David, who will nurture the flock and give himself for their care.

This passage is sometimes used to suggest that ministers of the Gospel should not receive a living from their work.  But that is not a good reading of the text.  Our Lord nowhere condemns the minister receiving his full support from the flock.  Here what our Lord is condemning is those who are not caring for the flock receiving their support at the flock's expense.  That is quite different.  The pastor should work, and work hard, for the good of the flock, building them up.  But he should receive his care from the hands of the flock he shepherds.  This is good and right.

This passage is sometimes used to suggest that there should be no "full-time" pastors since Christ, the Son of David, is the good shepherd.  Yet Christ himself appointed apostles and had them appoint others, passing on the gift and the authority to minister in his Name.  Pastors act on the command and in the name and authority of Christ.  When performing the pastoral work, they are serving as Christ, by his Spirit and in using his word to confront sin, to encourage and to comfort.

Do our shepherds fail?  Most certainly.  All of us, pastors included, are sinners.  Yet all of us have access to God the Father through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, access in repentance and reception of the forgiveness our Lord has provided so freely.  He is indeed the good shepherd who will gather and protect his flock.,  Let us run to him for mercy.

Ezekiel 33.1-20, Romans 3.1-18 - Lectionary for 1/11/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 33.1-20 and Romans 3.1-18.

Ezekiel continues to call people to repentance and restoration.  But a new challenge arises for him at chapter 33.  Rather than calling foreigners to repentance, he is now calling upon his own people, the people of Israel.  As God's chosen people Israel is very likely to reject Ezekiel's call.  After all, if you are already God's chosen people what need is there for repentance?

Do we, people in Christ's Church, act the same way?  But which of us is clean?  Which of us is without guilt?  Who has truly fled unrighteousness?  If we read the commandments can we get beyond the first one?  What is our need for repentance?  It is enormous.

What promises do we have?  Does not our Lord plead with us to turn to him in faith?  Does he desire the death of the wicked?  Not at all.  His desire is our repentance.  His desire is to bless us and care for us.

Let us turn to our Savior, again and again, as many times as we see our sin, day by day.  Let us trust his forgiveness and his grace.

Ezekiel 18.1-4, 19-32; Romans 2.17-29 - Lectionary for 1/10/10

(Forgot to put the post in)

Today's readings are Ezekiel 18.1-4, 19-32 and Romans 2.17-29.

"The soul that sins must die."  Ezekiel pounds the nails into the coffin lid, shutting it securely.  Again and again he hammers away at this theme.  We receive according to our sin, not someone else's sin, not someone else's righteousness, according to our sin and wickedness.  Sin brings death.  Our blood is on ourselves.  We are completely responsible for our death and condemnation.  There is no doubt left about it in this passage.  Does God condemn sinners to hell?  Yes.  Does he desire that sinners be condemned?  Not at all.  He did not choose us for condemnation but for life.  He did not create us for destruction but as his delight.

What is the cure?  How do we see the nails removed from the coffin, the lid raised, and ourselves brought from death to life?  We repent and believe.  We turn from our sins.  We seek and desire righteousness.  And all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will receive life and hope.  This is God's promise.  He does not desire our death and condemnation.  He does not take delight in death.  He calls all to turn and live.

Does this erroneously put the burden of salvation on us rather than on God?  Not at all.  We would have no knowledge of the hope in Christ without Christ's work on our behalf.  We would have no knowledge of the hope we can have in Christ without a proclamation of the Gospel.  We would have no desire for righteousness without the move of the Holy Spirit upon us.  Salvation is of the Lord, not of our own volition.  Salvation beings and ends with Christ crucified for sinners  It is not a matter of our choice but of his divine power and love.

What do we think when we turn from sin to righteousness, when we desire to trust in Christ, and yet we enter into sin?  Our Lord confronts us with the same call.  Turn, believe, and live.  Time and again we are restored to our Lord.  As many times as we realize our faithlessness, our need for repentance, so many times and more does our Lord and Savior call us to repentance.  He does not delight in anyone's death.

Lord, let us look faithfully to the living Savior, Jesus Christ, in whom is life.

Ezekiel 3.12-27, Romans 2.1-16 - Lectionary for 1/9/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 3.12-27 and Romans 2.1-16.

"It's a matter of life and death!  You need to support our cause."  I thank the person and hang up the phone.  What is the cause?  Is it fighting hunger?  Is it fighting domestic abuse?  Is it providing low-cost housing for the poor?  These are good.  They are important.  But even more so, Christian ministry is a matter of life and death.  It is not to be taken lightly either by ministers or by those to whom they minister.  Look at Ezekiel's calling.  He is responsible to warn the people, to exhort them to righteousness.  They are responsible to hear and respond.  Of course, it is God who calls our hearts to repentance, who convicts us, who forgives us.  But he uses his human servants in the process.  The proclamation of the true Law and Gospel is a matter of life and death.  

Woe to those servants of the Lord who do not speak the truth clearly.  They condemn themselves and their hearers.

Thanks be to God in Christ who gives repentance, forgiveness, restoration, and courage to speak the Word boldly.  May he ever work in His Church.

Ezekiel 2.1-3.11, Romans 1.18-32 - Lectionary for 1/8/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 2.1-3.11 and Romans 1.18-32.

See today how God's word comes to Ezekiel.  He has from God's own hand a written word.  He hears a spoken word.  He eats the word of God.  Likewise we have the written Word, the proclaimed Word, and the Word on the communion table, the true body of our Lord.  We, like Ezekiel, are called to consume this Word of God.

Is it sweet?  Is it bitter?  Does the Word of God encourage and strengthen us?  Do we run afoul of God and end up crushed and broken by the Word?  Is it healing?  Is it deadly?  The answer to all these questions is, of course, "Yes."  Our Lord confronts our sin with the living Word, Jesus Christ.  He presents himself, dead for our sins, living as the resurrected one, a stumbling block for some, foolishness for others, life and hope f or all who believe.

What's the effect of the Word?  Lord, have your way with your people.

Ezekiel 1.1-14, 22-26; Romans 1.1-17 - Lectionary for 1/7/10

Today's readings are Ezekiel 1.1-14, 22-26 and Romans 1.1-17.

In Ezekiel 1 we see a divine interruption in the everyday affairs of Ezekiel, an exiled priest.  There's no reason to expect Ezekiel was doing anything unusual.  His activities are not mentioned.  In all likelihood he was going about his daily business, fulfilling his vocation.  Yet in the midst of this apparently unremarkable day, Ezekiel is interrupted by a vision from God.

We could make arguments from the symbols mentioned in the vision.  Many have done so.  Is there some fruit in this kind of practice?  Probably so, but it isn't where we want to go today.  We see that in this vision God interrupts Ezekiel and shows him something of heavenly reality which seems quite foreign and difficult to express in human terms.

We could try to describe the appearance of God as the person seated on the throne.  Of course, in this we would be as fruitless as Ezekiel, who tries to describe the human form he sees on a throne, but comes up with a description which bears very little resemblance to you or me.  God's presence in Ezekiel's vision is so astounding he cannot find words to describe what he sees.

Here's what I would like to look at today, though.  How does God interrupt our lives?  When we are going about our routine, mundane affairs, does our Lord interrupt in some way?  Does he do something breathtakingly divine?  Consider the way our Lord and Savior has communicated with his people in Word and Sacraments.  Consider the natural revelation of his divine power all around us.  Consider the way the Lord has created and is actively sustaining the world.  Every breath we draw, every thought or emotion we experience, it is all evidence of the presence of our Lord.

Jesus Christ has created this world.  He has redeemed it to himself through his incarnation, his life, his death, his resurrection.  In this time of Epiphany, are we intent on seeing the Lord who has appeared to us?  Or maybe we are too busy with dwelling on our mundane life to see the divine context in which we live that life.

May the Lord grant us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to respond when he interrupts.

Isaiah 66.1-20, Luke 3.21-35 - Lectionary for 1/6/10

Today's readings are Isaiah 66.1-20 and Luke 3.21-35.

In Isaiah 66.3 we see that people have chosen their own way.  God calls it an abomination.  It is not the way God has revealed.  Even following the patterns God has prescribed but without repentance is not acceptable.  If we try to build God's kingdom in the way that we have devised it is abhorrent to our Lord.  

It is in fact the Lord who brings his kingdom.  he is the one who has redeemed people from his own wrath, purchasing a people out of his righteous judgment to be a people pleasing to him.  It is through Christ's sacrifice, not ours, that we have obtained mercy.  It is through Christ's obedience, not ours, that we are called obedient children of our heavenly father.

This is not something we would devise.  It comes only from God's self-revelation.  God is angry with our sin so he pours out his wrath, but pours it out on himself.  God requires death for sin so he dies, in the person of his son, Jesus Christ.  God promises to adopt and provide for a people he has chosen, so he makes them adoptable.  All this is not what we are able to do, but entirely what he does.  This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Isaiah 65.8-25, Luke 3.1-20 - Lectionary for 1/5/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 65.8-25 and Luke 3.1-20.

As we read Isaiah 65 today we see that God does not cast out sinful Israel.  He has revealed himself to them, giving salvation.  We know from the New Testament specifically that this salvation is by belief on Christ crucified for sinners.  All who come to him in repentance and faith are gathered to him.  There is no sin that is not covered by the death and resurrection of Christ.  

Verses 10-16 of Isaiah 65 show some parallel blessings on the repentant and curses on those who trust in themselves.

The repentant have safe pasture.  The unrepentant have sword and slaughter.

The repentant eat, drink and rejoice.  The unrepentant are hungry, thirsty, and covered with shame.

The repentant sing.  The unrepentant are crying in pain.

The repentant are called blessed, forgetting their troubles.  The unrepentant are called a curse.

What's the difference?  See that blessing doesn't come from our having safe pasture, eating, drinking, rejoicing, singing, or forgetting our troubles.  No, all those attributes come from the blessed life God gives to those who repent of their sin.  Repentance is more than just sorrow.  It is sorrow which looks to God for blessing and relief from sin.  It is sorrow for sin which looks to Christ as the savior.

God's people are redeemed for joy, to receive blessing and honor.  They are redeemed only by the death of Christ on their behalf, received by belief in Christ's sufficient atonemtn.  This is truly the Gospel.

Isaiah 63.15-65.7, Luke 2.41-52 - Lectionary for 1/4/10

Today's readings are Isaiah 63.15-65.7 and Luke 2.41-52.

What are the fruits of sin?  In our sin we find that we cannot find God.  God has turned his face away from sinful man, who then, trying through sinful man's methods, cannot approach him.  It seems that part of the penalty for sin is that we end up sinning more.  The repentant cry out for the Lord to reveal himself.  Yet those who trust in their own ability go on with their shows of holiness, wisdom, and religiosity all in vain.  Our man-made holiness is in vain because it is tainted through and through with our sinful desires.  Our man-made wisdom is mediated by our sinful desires.  It is finite.  We cannot see or understand all that is around us so we are ultimately blind in our wisdom.  Our man-made religiosity is fruitless.  It does not approach the true and living God because it does not do so on his terms, but on ours.  We put ourselves on the throne that belongs to God so as to decide what would be right.  

What hope is there then?  We see the fruitless attempts we can make at approaching God.  But we also see in this passage that the Lord reveals himself suddenly, unexpectedly, in a way which confronts and contradicts all our efforts at religiosity.  Our Lord and Savior has come.  He has given us his Word which shows us how we approach him on his terms, not on ours.  He has revealed himself to us.  He is found by those who did not seek for him.  He is found where he is not expected.  He is the God who has revealed himself and made eternity visible.  And he has done it through the person and work of Jesus Christ, his only son.

Do we look for salvation through our own holiness and wisdom?  Or do do we look for salvation through this baby born in Bethlehem, living at least for a time with the livestock because of lack of space?  Do we look for salvation through the perfect man who gave himself for the sins of all mankind?  Do we look for hope in the bodily resurrection?  Do we see our Lord in water, bread, and wine?  In short, do we look for our Lord where he has promised he can be found?  Let us ever look there in hope.  The Lord has revealed himself in an unexpected way.  He is there to be found.

Isaiah 63.1-14, Luke 2.21-40 - Lectionary for 1/3/10

Today's readings are Isaiah 63.1-14 and Luke 2.21-40.

The color is red.  It's a symbol of royalty.  A symbol of a harvest and wine-pressing celebration.  Red symbolizes joy, delight, favor, drink for the coming year.

At the same time, we see a double, even triple meaning.  God's enemies, those not chosen, are signified as "Edom," the brother of Israel, whose name also means "red."  And in this passage we see God's winepress as the place where he tramples his enemies, bringing their destruction.

Whose blood is on whom?  Does God bring simultaneous mourning and delight?  How has our Lord ans Savior penalized sin and unbelief?  His is the blood of the nations, crushed by the wrath of God.  His is the suffering which brings delight.  His is the hand which will finally call all men to account, either being covered with his shed blood or with their own shed blood, as he brings all nations to their end.

Life is in the blood of Christ, shed for the sins of all the world.  Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has entered the winepress of God's wrath himself.  He has given himself over to death on our behalf.  From his life poured out we receive the wine of joy.  We receive the royal delight.  We receive lifegiving drink which will last for eternity.  Let us then receive with joy the blood of Christ, poured out from God's winepress, our hope of salvation.

Isaiah 62.1-12, Luke 2.1-20 - Lectionary for 1/2/10

Today's readings are Isaiah 62.1-12 and Luke 2.1-20.

Our text in Isaiah 62 focuses on those who are recipients of God's favor.  We see verses 1-5 describing our Lord's chosen people.  Verses 6-10 interrupt to tell about salvation in general.  Then in verses 11-12 we see special names given to those favored by God.  

In verses 1-5 we see that the people who have the Lord's favor are shining in righteousness.  They are visibly distinct from the rest of the world.  They have been named by God.  They serve as his royal standard.  They are no longer forsaken or desolate, but they are the delight of God.  He compares them to a bride he has taken in marriage.  These people are rejoiced over by God.  What can this mean, though, except that those outside of God's favor are quite the opposite.  We need only to be observant to see that some people don't have lives that shine.  Many are downtrodden, even visibly so.  There are those in our society who don't seem to have a clear identity formed by God.  They seek their own way, their own identity.  Rather than flying the flag of our Lord and Savior they seek to fly their own standard.  These people are in fact forsaken and desolate.  They bring shame to God.  They are facing a future outside of the loving and protective care of God.  

Lest we think too highly of ourselves, we should observe that we all fall short of the description our Lord has given us in verses 1-5.  Though God has called us and set us apart in his mercy, we consistently live as though he did nothing of the sort.  Then when we occasionally find ourselves living out the identity our Lord has imputed to us we exalt ourselves and fall into trusting ourselves rather than our Lord.

What is our hope then?  We see in verses 6-10 that we are invited to call on God to fulfill his promises.  Waht is the promise of the Lord?  He promises provision.  He promises to call people to honor him.  And in verse 10 we see that our Lord has called all people to himself.  He has done this, of course, through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Christ, God incarnate, on our behalf.  He has been lifted up.  He draws all men to himself.  That means you, that means me.  He calls us to come to him in belief.  Has he called us righteous?  We are righteous, despite all evidence to the contrary.  Has he called us his royal standard?  Then we are his royal standard.  Has he said we are his delight?  Then we are his delight.  Let us look to him in faith, trusting that he will fulfill his promises.

What are the names our Lord leaves us with?  He calls us "Salvation comes."  He calls us "The Holy People."  He calls us "Redeemed."  He calls us "Sought Out."  He calls us a "City Not Forsaken."  These are the names our Lord has given us through Christ's work on our behalf.  These are the names he has purchased for us through his blood shed.  These are the promises he has given us.

Lord, may we walk as partakers of your promises today.

Isaiah 61.1-11, Luke 1.57-80 - Lectionary for 1/1/10

Today's readings are Isaiah 61.1-11 and Luke 1.57-80.

As we start the new calendar year, let's spend some time looking at our Old Testament readings in particular.  I'll try hard to bring out the overall Law/Gospel themes within the readings. 

In Isaiah 61 today we see a passage which, if we needed to classify it as either Law or Gospel, we'd say is almost entirely Gospel.  Yet there are two chilling statements.  See in verse 2 how this is the time both for God's favor and his vengeance?  Our God is the God who rightly takes revenge.  Our wrong does not go unnoticed.  The evil of mankind is not without its recompense.  Though our Lord seems slow to punish sin, he does promise vengeance.  In verse 8 we see that our Lord hates "robbery and wrong."  He will judge them at the appropriate time.

This ought to be enough to silence our arrogance.  It ought to be enough to remind us to look for God's mercy and not to think we can flee his anger by ignoring him.  The God who is faithful to his promises will keep those promises, including his promise to pour out his wrath on evil.  And he defines evil as everything which is not in conformity to his love, all which is not true to his character.  Indeed, all of us fail.  We are all condemned under the curses mentioned in verses 2 and 8 of Isaiah 61.  The weight of the Law in those simple statements is sufficient to crush each and every one of us.

What hope is there then?  In this Gospel-filled passage, we see that our Lord is proclaiming good news to the poor.  He binds up the broken-hearted.  He gives captives liberty.  He releases from prison.  He pours out his favor.  He gives relief to those who are mourning.  He plants God's people where they can take root, grow and flourish.  When we confess that we are sinners and that he is, in fact, our righteousness, we see we are recipients of all this favor.  We read on in verse 4 and see that our Lord repairs our ruins.  We see that we are used by the Lord to provide for others.  We see that God's people are sustained and blessed by foreigners, who also receive blessing.  Our Lord has prepared an everlasting covenant, an enduring heritage for his people.  He has clothed us with royal robes of salvation. He makes righteousness and praise grow where before there was nothing but loss and destruction.

Thanks be to God that he has done all this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, who gave himself to bear the weight of the righteous condemnation of God in our place so we could turn to him in belief.  May he ever conform our lives to his Gospel promises, making us his chosen people forever.

Lectionary Posts Go on Holiday

My lectionary posts are going to go on holiday as we are dealing with many additional activities, such as house guests, travels, and preparing the house for sale in the upcoming three weeks.  Hopefully things will return to normal about the first of the year.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com

Isaiah 24.14-25.12, 1 John 2.15-29 - Lectionary for 12/8/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 24.14-25.12 and 1 John 2.15-29.

Today we look to 1 John 2.15-17 for Law and Gospel in a nutshell.  What do we see here?  Our Lord commands us.  "Do not love the world" (ESV).  After all, we realize that there is one Lord.  We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  We look to him in hope.  We fear, love and trust him alone.  This is God's firm command.  But what do we do in reality?  We love the world rather than loving God.  Is the world bad, then?  Not at all.  When our Lord created it by his word he proclaimed it good.  That's not the issue at all.  Even the fallen world, cursed as it is, is a beautiful and wonderful place.  We love the world, which is perfectly normal.  It's good to love good things.  But what does our Lord remind us here in 1 John 2?  In verse 17 we see that the world is temporary.  It will not last forever.  It does not have the enduring quality that God's kingdom has.  It will all be stripped away from us.  Do we depend on momentary pleasures?  In the eyes of our risen Lord all the things of this world are but momentary pleasures.  Do we relish our homes, our families, our occupations?  That's good.  But they too will pass away.  They remain just for a moment.  They do not bring lasting fulfillment.  Do we desire wealth, earthly power, status?  All will perish in a moment.  So what do we strive for?  What do we desire?  Let us love our Lord and savior, the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Let us desire his kingdom and his glory.  Let us seek the imperishable crown of the one who overcomes and participates in the resurrection from the dead.  Let us delight only in our Lord.

It is the last hour.  The time is growing short.  Our Lord comes soon.  Let us then confess the Son, Jesus Christ.  He is the one who created all things, who lived a righteous life for us, who died on our behalf, who rose as the firstfruits of the resurrection, and who ever lives to make intercession for us.

Isaiah 24.1-13, 1 John 1.1-2.14 - Lectionary for 12/7/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 24.1-13 and 1 John 1.1-2.14.

What is it to walk in the darkness?  We see in 1 John 1.6-7 (ESV), "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in drakness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in  the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."  So what is it to walk in the dark?  We're all familiar with the idea of going crashing into things.  We're all familiar with wondering whether there is something that will cause us to fall.  We're all familiar with the insecurity of walking in the dark.  But there's something else that happens as well.  Picture yourself in the dark.  When the lights are off and it's dark, I might be an NBA star.  I might be a prize-winning journalist.  I know everything.  I can do anything.  My secret life emerges.  I'm all powerful, all knowing, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, faster than a speeding bullet, better looking than anyone else in the world.  In short, when I'm walking in the darkness, I'm God, at least in my imaginations.  Aren't you?  It's amazing what can happen when we walk in the dark from the bedroom to the bathroom.

What happens when we turn on the bathroom light?  It's really morning?  My eyes suddenly feel bleary as the light comes on.  I look at myself in the mirror and look away.  Boy, I'm fat.  Old, stiff, ugly, don't smell too good, not a pretty sight at all.  I have no idea what day it is, what time it is, really hardly know where I am except I'm where I always am.  I don't know what has happened while I was asleep, while it was dark.  This is quite a distance from being omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.  Pretty sorry excuse for a god.  I guess I'm just me, walking in the light.

We walk in the darkness.  We make ourselves into the ruler of heaven and earth.  We deceive ourselves.  But when Jesus, the Light of the world comes and shines his light on us we not only see ourselves for what we are, we see Jesus as well.  In Jesus we are brought face to face with the true God.  In Jesus we are confronted with the true Light.  In Jesus we see that we are not God.  But there's more.  In Jesus we see that we don't have to be God.  We no longer have to make everything right in the world.  We realize we are not able to do so but that he already has.  We realize that we are not able to take away sin but that Jesus has atoned for sin.  We realize that it's not a matter of being strong, fast, tall, good looking, even good smelling.  It's a matter of being the perfect Lord of heaven and earth, giving your life for the life of the world.  And Jesus has done this, once and for all, for you and for me.  

The ligts are on.

Isaiah 14.1-23, 2 Peter 3.1-18 - Lectionary for 12/6/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 14.1-23 and 2 Peter 3.1-18.

We love it when we win contests.  The thrill of victory!  The joy of accomplishment!   We win a game and want to do the happy dance, gloating over those we defeated.  We have this warm glow that accompanies our victory.  Even in a game of chance we seem to think we had something to do with the victory.  And we use that victory to accomplish our purposes.  We entrench ourselves in a place of authority.  We even seem to get some sort of moral authority.  After all, we're the winners, we must be better than they are.  Look, our lane in traffic is moving faster than that other lane.  We must be better.  Our train is running on schedule.  We must be more important than those other people whose train is behind schedule.  And we want to gloat in our victory.

"How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased" (Isaiah 14.3b, ESV).  Yet look at the biblical taunt the people of Israel carry on against Assyria.  It's different from our taunt over the people who lost the football game against our team.  This taunt is commanded by God.  It makes factual observations about God's victory.  It reminds everyone that we are not responsible for the outcome of the war, but God is.  It reminds everyone that we all, just like the Assyrians and other nations, are destined for the grave.  Our time ends.  We are but instruments in God's hands.  If we sinful people execute justice we yet remain sinful people.  It is God who is just, not we.  Our Lord's reminder here is that sin leads to death and that we are all covered in sin.  Need we look farther than our desires to gloat in victories?  We could, but we won't for the moment.  It's enough to realize in this one brief example that when we actually end up in a positive situation we are quick to snatch glory for ourselves rather than to ascribe glory to our Lord and Savior.

What's the end of sin?  It leads to destruction.  Assyria has fallen.  We too will fall into destruction and ruin in our sin.  We all together stand condemned.  There is none righteous, none but our God.  What hope then?  Our hope is that we are the instruments of God's hand, redeemed through Jesus, the perfect Man, who lived the perfect life, died the perfect death, and precedes us in resurrection.  It is through his life, death, and resurrection that we gain hope and salvation.  He is the one who has had the final word, gloating over sin, death, and hell, showing himself to be the resurrection and the life.  He is the one who has risen up against the rulers of this world and has shown himself to be ruler of all.

Lord, grant us that we may boast only in you.

Isaiah 11.1-12.6, 2 Peter 2.1-22 - Lectionary for 12/5/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 11.1-12.6 and 2 Peter 2.1-22.

1 Peter 2.9 (ESV) says, "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment."

Even as the Lord gathers his people from bondage in Assyria and the remotest regions of sin, we see the people of God are under attack from without and within.  Shall we grow despondent?  In no way.  Our Lord comes to gather his people and execute judgment.  On whose timetable?  It is his own schedule, not ours.  We have only to hold fast and wait on him.  He will accomplish his purpose in the end.

Isaiah 10.12-27a, 33-34, 2 Peter 1.1-21 - Lectionary for 12/4/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 10.12-27a, 33-34, and 2 Peter 1.1-21.

Arrogant Assyria, the instrument of God's wrath against Israel, will be destroyed.  Why?  The tool of God proclaims itself to be in charge.  Yet as we see in 2 Peter , we can be partakers of God's promises or we can attempt to make our own promises by our own power.  What then is our identity?  Either we live as God's creation or as our own creation.  The end of one is eternal blessing and victory.  The end of the other is eternal destruction.  So how do we stack up?  Are we those who trust in our Lord's provision?  Are we instruments in his hand or are we the hand that tries to wield ourselves as an instrument?  May we ever live as God's instruments, not as little versions of God himself.

Isaiah 9.8-10.11, 1 Peter 5.1-14 - Lectionary for 12/3/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 9.8-10.11 and 1 Peter 5.1-14.

What is the calling of an elder?  It is to be a shepherd.  Peter, who calls himself an elder along with the people to whom he is writing, points out the responsibilities of an elder.  Exercise oversight.  Work willingly.  Be an example.  Be like Christ the chief shepherd.  Watch out for the devil, a ravenous lion.  Resist the devil.  Suffer willingly for Christ.  Trust the Lord will "restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish" you (v. 10).

Are we ready to walk for Christ in this way?  Are we willing to submit to our elders as we are exhorted in verse 5?  When we are at peace and not in any struggles we probably are.  When the going gets rough we show what we are really made of.  We flee from the Scriptural commands.  We fear our Lord will not take care of us.  

What an encouragement this is in verse 10 when the first thing the Lord will do is to restore us.  As he restored the Peter who denied him three times, our Lord comes to us and restores us.  He lovingly asks us again and again if we love him.  His restoration is full and free.

Isaiah 8.9-9.7, 1 Peter 4.1-19 - Lectionary for 12/2/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 8.9-9.7 and 1 Peter 4.1-19.

Our God is the God of odd distinctions.  He proclaims in Isaiah 8 that he will be a sanctuary and a stone of offense (v. 14).  He is simultaneously our greatest hope and our greatest fear.  He is at the same time the one who brings joy and the one who brings destruction.  The child born to Israel is the one who is already a King.  And as we read in 1 Peter the victor is this Christ who has suffered for us.

Christ's people are the people of this promise.  We have received this forgiveness from our Lord who has suffered.  We respond to suffering b y bringing honor and praise to Christ.  Does this seem odd?  It should.  It is quite different from what we see in this world.  It is quite the opposite of our natural desires.  But the God who makes these odd distinctions does this in us as well.

Isaiah 7.10-8.8, 1 Peter 3.1-22 - Lectionary for 12/1/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 7.10-8.8 and 1 Peter 3.1-22.

There's a good deal of cleansing going on in today's readings.  We see God using an evil vessel - Assyria (and Egypt also) to cleanse Israel of their sin and distrust.  This foreign king, compared to a great river, will wash away life as the people of Israel know it, bringing in a very different way of life.  Likewise, in our New Testament reading, we see life being turned upside down.  People are won by kindness and compassion.  People are adorned with good works rather than ornaments.  People who suffer are receiving blessing and are repaying evil with good.  And the mighty flood that destroyed the world brought life to those who were left behind - Noah and his family, drawn from the waters which would give death, drawn out to new life, just as people are drawn out of the waters of baptism and given new life in Christ.

May the Lord bless us to see his world through his eyes, quite a different world than the landscape we are used to seeing.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com

Isaiah 6.1-7.9, 1 Peter 2.13-25 - Lectionary for 11/30/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 6.1-7.9 and 1 Peter 2.13-25.

Immediately after the Lord calls Isaiah he reveals a tale of political woe and intrigue.  The foreigners are coming.  They have authorities placed over them.  They will be doing their job by sacking and plundering.  Yet in fact God is the Lord over all.  In 1 Peter we see that there are lines of authority drawn and that they are drawn by God.  We may not always know what our leaders are doing but we can have confidence that they are not ultimately doing it outside of God's will.  It may be to guard against evil.  It may be to provoke Christians to take a stand for the Gospel.  It may be to inflict judgment on Christians for their unbelief.  The fact is, we rarely know why God is doing things the way he is doing them.  But we know that our Lord and Savior is in all and over all.  He is indeed the beginning and the end.  He is the one who establishes kingdoms and he is the one who will bring all of them to an end as he ushers in his eternal kingdom.

As we look at what our earthly kingdoms are doing, let us rejoice in the heavenly kingdom.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com

Isaiah 5.1-25, 1 Peter 2.1-12 - Lectionary for 11/29/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 5.1-25 and 1 Peter 2.1-12.

What makes some people believe and others disbelieve?  The Arminian is ultimately forced to assert that man is capable, by his own good effort, of choosing to believe on Christ.  The Calvinist is ultimately forced to assert that as God has chosen some as his special people he has also chosen some for destruction.  Neither of these viewpoints comports with today's Scripture readings.  God himself goes to look for fruit where there should be good fruit.  It is his vineyard, he has planted it, he has tended it, and there is no reason at all why it should not be providing abundant good fruit.  But it is not.  We are told that unbelievers depart from God's mercy and grace.  They follow their will and desires rather than God's will and desires.  God's will is only ever that everyone might believe in him and look to him through Jesus Christ for hope and salvation.  But man, destined to disobedience by God's curse for sin, follows his destiny and disobeys, disbelieves, departs from the covenants and promises of God.  Time and again, when God has revealed his love and redemption to man, we depart from that promise.  God has iven us a freedom - not to believe, but to act on our disbelief.  Some do.  Many do.  If we believe on Christ it is entirely God's work.  If we do not believe, that is our work.

May the Lord work in us.  May we stop fighting. 

Isaiah 2.1-22, 1 Peter 1.13-25 - Lectionary for 11/28/09

Today's readings are Isaiah 2.1-22 and 1 Peter 1.13-25.

After condemning the people of Israel for being far from God (Isaiah 1), the Lord makes this very warm invitation.  Who can come to the Lord?  Anyone!  He will gather all who desire.  He will teach us his ways and guide our paths.  It does not depend on our preparation or our holiness.  It depends on the good call of the Lord, who warmly calls us all to come with him.

What do we have to fear?  There is no reason to doubt God's providence.  What assurance of salvation do we have?  God is good to his word and promise.  Our Lord, who died for the sins of the whole world, promises to save all who believe on him.

Daniel 5.1-30, Revelation 21.9-27 - Lectionary for 11/25/09

Today's readings are Daniel 5.1-30 and Revelation 21.9-27.

The kingdom of Belshazzar is coming to an end.  His realm has been weighed in the balance and found wanting.  Despite the wealth, the power, the culture, his earthly kingdom is doomed.  This wonderful civilization, the Babylonian empire, rose to world leadership only to decline within a few generations.  Like all earthly kingdoms it has a time limit.  This is the ultimate in planned obsolescence.  The kingdoms of this world come to an end to be replaced by other earthly kingdoms.  It's happened as long as we have tracked history and it will as long as we are here tracking it.  

Do you want power?  Do you want riches?  Do you want glory?  Look to God's kingdom.  Look to the new Jerusalem we see in Revelation 21.  Not only are there dishes of gold, it looks like the whole city is made of gold and precious jewels.  And this is an eternal city, a perfect city.  It's the real kingdom, the genuine article.  This is almost enough to make us think that Plato got some things right, as he said there would be earthly shadows of an eternal reality.  God's city described in Revelation 21 is the reality.  This is a real kingdom.  This is real life. 

May we ever look to the Lord, Jesus Christ, the cornerstone on whom the kingdom of our Lord is built.  May we believe him when he looks to heaven and says, "It is finished."

Daniel 4.1-37, Revelation 21.1-8 - Lectionary for 11/24/09

Today's readings are Daniel 4.1-37 and Revelation 21.1-8.

The kingdoms of this world will pass away.  All will fall from their glory.  All will decay.  Every last one will crumble and rot, given enough time.  History has shown this to be the pattern.  There is only one kingdom that will endure, and that is the one we see in Revelation 21.  God's kingdom, with Christ the King coming to take his bride, the Church.  This is the kingdom that will endure forever.  So there is our question.  Do we trust in our human institutions above God's Church?  Do we look to our own resources rather than to what our Lord and Savior has done on our behalf?  Or are we living in accord with the desires of our heavenly king, living like true partakers of life, those who have been washed in baptism and cleansed from their sin?  Thanks be to God that we are called time and again to repentance and to receive the forgiveness which our King has purchased for us.  Let us walk, therefore, as the Bride of Christ.

Daniel 3.1-30, Revelation 20.1-15 - Lectionary for 11-23-09

Today's readings are Daniel 3.1-30 and Revelation 20.1-15.

In today's reading we see two very important signs.  First, in Daniel, we see that the Lord protects those who are suffering for their faith.  In this instance he protects Daniel's three companions and keeps them alive and unharmed by the flames they endured.  In Revelation we see the saints who are killed for their faith being present in heaven immediately with Christ.  God protects his faithful people and keeps them ultimately unharmed, though sometimes they may lose their mortal lives.

Now what of the thousand years here in Revelation 20?  Against the believers in a literal thousand year reign of Christ, I just mention a few problems.

1) It makes no sense at all for Christ to come and have a reign of perfect glory on earth then for Satan to be released.

2) 1000 is ten (a number of completion) cubed - a sign of the trinity and hence perfection.  The number 1000 is generally used figuratively in Scripture except when counting specific people, for instance, in a census.  In this highly figurative passage of Scripture we would expect that a thousand years refers to a tremendously long period of time.

3) There is no reason in Scripture to make us think there will be several different times of Christ's return and judgment.

The most reasonable answer to this difficulty is that which the Church has held as a general consensus view, that the thousand years is a figurative number and that the period coincides with a time of tribulation (hence the people who are killed for their faith).  This would be the age of the Church.  At the end of that age, Christ will come to claim his own, the dead will be raised, and there will be final judgment.

Daniel 2.1-23, Revelation 18.1-24 - Lectionary for 11/21/09

Today's readings are Daniel 2.1-23 and Revelation 18.1-24.

Today we jump to Revelation 18.  Amid the plagues being poured out on Babylon (probably a figurative name for either Rome or Jerusalem, hence the seat of spiritual and economic life) we see something especially sad.  Look at verse 11.  There is weeping, not so much because of the destruction of Babylon in and of itself, but because of the loss of commerce.

We look at a passage like this and think of the end of the world, but we are also well advised to think of our own day and age.  Have we replaced a concern for genuine well being with a concern for economic power?  Have we replaced a concern for learning, growing, repenting, and believing with a concern for health, wealth, and shows of vigor?  What are our priorities?  Are they priorities which will be destroyed in the end of the world or are they priorities which will last into eternity?

May we ever seek Christ and his kingdom above all else.  That will never pass away.  It will never disappoint.  It is not subject to burning and destruction in the end of this age.

Daniel 1.1-21, Matthew 28.1-20 - Lectionary for 11/20/09

Today's readings are Daniel 1.1-21 and Matthew 28.1-20.

When I was reading today's selections I thought very seriously about writing something about Daniel chapter one.  After all, anyone who reads this blog will fully expect that I'll write something about Matthew 28.18-20.  For that matter, in the Treasury of Daily Prayer I see an outstanding comment on that passage from no less than Jerome.  What should I do?  The expected or the unexspected?

After filling a mug with espresso I came to my senses and decided that it would only be right to point out a few things from Matthew 28 which many through the centuries have observed.  Unfortunately it seems in the past couple of centuries, since Enlightenment thinking has captured the Western Church, we have changed the emphasis given to this passage in Scripture, to the great detriment of the Church.  Here's a list of some of the most important points from Matthew 28.18-20.

1) Jesus claims all authority.  We do not have authority outside of Jesus' command.  We simply follow his directives.

2) Those people Jesus called, and ordained are to go and make disciples.  We see them calling and ordaining others to continue the task.  Our expectation is that an incredible number of believers will receive this call and ordination, but we see it is not something that we claim for ourselves.  It comes from outside of us.

3) The apostles make disciples of all nations.  Unlike our Reformed brethren who seem to consider this a partitive genitive, indicating that the disciples will be part of the whole (all nations), thus defending their view of particular atonement, the indicative verb is "make disciples" and the words translated "of all nations" are an accusative case direct object, the recipient of the discipling action.  It is quite a universal activity.

4) The participles "baptizing" and "teaching" indicate the way we make disciples.  Baptism is the entry into the discipleship of the Church.  Teaching must follow.  It makes no sense to baptize people and then not teach them for the rest of their lives. 

5) In the Bible "the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" seems to indicate not only the authority of God but also some level of performative work.  This trinitarian formula claims God's active work in the situation.  Those baptizing are doing the work of God, claiming people in Christ's authority for his kingdom.  This indicates very clearly that baptism is not man's work but God's work, not our affirmation of our acceptance of God's offer, but his grant of a place in his kingdom.  Through his messengers, Christ is baptizing people into his own name and authority. 

Remember the teaching too!  May we know the Lord in his glory and splendor as he has revealed himself through Jesus Christ, claiming us for his own in holy baptism.

Jeremiah 38.1-28, Matthew 27.57-66 - Lectionary for 11/19/09

Today's readings are Jeremiah 38.1-28 and Matthew 27.57-66.

As many today remember Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231), known for her works of medical mercy, our readings point us to the way Jeremiah and Joseph of Arimathea laid down tir lives for their Lord.  Especially in Joseph we see a telling work, as Joseph gives up his tomb for the Lord.  Why would he do this?   Of course, we realize such tombs were typically used for multiple burials over a period of time and that Joseph would be able to use the tomb later himself.  Yet what we see is that in giving his tomb Joseph is symbolically expressing that he has died with Christ.  His life is already laid down with the Lord's, to be taken up again in the resurrection at the end of the world.

Throughout history we can see many who have laid down their lives for the Lord who laid his life down for them.  May the Lord give us grace that we also can lay down our lives to take up the life of the resurrection provided for us in Christ.

Jeremiah 37.1-21, Matthew 27.33-56 - Lectionary for 11/18/09

Today's readings are Jeremiah 37.1-21 and Matthew 27.33-56.

Today we see Jesus, the Lord and Savior of the world, die for the sins of the world.  What reactions do we have?  Look to the text and see that some people are doing their jobs, some people mocking the Lord, some people are standing around without many clues about what is happening, some people are wondering if anything is going to happen.  We can see this same range of reactions in our modern societies.  Some people actively revile the Lord.  Some people seem to be oblivious of anything going on.  And there are countless points between the two poles.  There is one commonality, though, in what I've just described.  Everyone on that spectrum is acting in unbelief.  All are included in the condemnation of God.  None is looking to the Lord in faith.

What's the rest of the story?  Jesus gives up his spirit.  The temple curtain separating man from the presence of God splits in two, there's a great earthquake, there's a little bit of a resurrection, and some people realize that Jesus must have been exactly who he said he was.  God's action in time and space catches the attention of sinful people and provokes a response.

May the Lord work in us.  May he provoke in us a response of faith.  May we not be condemned by our doubt, mocking, indifference, or ignorance of our Lord's work.  May the Lord fill us with awe so that we say, with the centurion, "Truly this was the Son of God!" 

Jeremiah 33.1-22, Matthew 27.11-32 - Lectionary for 11/17/09

Today's readings are Jeremiah 33.1-22 and Matthew 27.11-32.

What do we do with the innocent Son of God?  We see him today in our reading, standing before Pilate, accused of all manner of crimes which he did not commit.  We see Jesus today accused for our sin, for what we have done.  Jesus silently stands before Pilate accepting the blame for all our sins, for our lying, for our envy, for our power-hungry desires.  He is the one whom all the judges, all the officials, really everyone present knew had actually done no wrong.  For what was Jesus killed?  He was killed to satisfy the desires of the people.  But even more so, he was killed to satisfy the anger of God the Father against the desires of the people, not only those present, but every son and daughter of Adam's race, all the partakers of the curse against sin.

What do we do with this innocent Son of God?  Crucify him!  Let his blood be on our heads!  Here is the enigmatic statement of sinner and saint.  Let the blood of Christ be on our hands, on our heads.  We killed him.  And truth be told, if we can find someone else to pay for our crimes we're all for it.  But in a greater way, may the blood of Christ be on our heads, for it is the blood of the perfect Lamb of God which cleanses from sin.  It is the blood of Christ interposed for us and our sin which appeases the wrath of God.  It is the blood of Christ which purchases my deliverance.  Let the blood of Christ be on us all.

Jeremiah 31.1-17, 23-34; Matthew 27.1-10 - Lectionary for 11/16/09

Today's readings are Jeremiah 31.1-17, 23-34 and Matthew 27.1-10.

What is this language of covenant the Lord gives us in Jeremiah 31?  Recall that in the Scripture a covenant is a holy agreement.  In human covenants we make a solemn promise before God to one another.  In divine covenants, God is always the initiator and the one who truly promises to keep the covenant.  Man is a partaker of the blessings and indeed the recipient of some of the curses inherent in the covenant, but God's promise to all mankind consistently remains intact.

Now we see a new covenant.  In the old covenant deliverance is marked with blood of animals on the doorposts of houses.  Words of deliverance are passed on using human means and human persuasion.  In the new covenant deliverance is marked by the blood of Jesus on the cross.  This is God's sacrifice, not man's.  Words of deliverance are passed on as forgiveness is proclaimed in Jesus' name, i.e., in his authority by his servants speaking in his stead.  Acts of deliverance such as baptism, absolution, and communion are not seen biblically as man's acts, but as God delivering salvation and life to his people.  Again, we are looking at God's sacrifice, not man's.  This is a fundamentally new covenant.

May the Lord be our God.  May we be his people.  May we realize that as God has granted deliverance through his work, we ourselves do not speak with persuasive words or shrewd arguments, but we proclaim Christ crucified for sinners.

Jeremiah 29.1-19, Matthew 26.36-56 - Lectionary for 11/14/09

Today's readings are Jeremiah 29.1-19 and Matthew 26.36-56.

Sometimes we all feel like we are captives.  We're captive to our job, to our malfunctioning lawn mower, our pets that seem to run our lives, our debts, our household projects, sometimes even to our family members.  We spend almost half our work year earning money to pay taxes.  We do feel like captives, even if we haven't been deported as the Jews were in Jeremiah's time.

What does our Lord say to the captives?  Marry, have children, buy homes, farm the land, do business, pray for the nation you are visiting.  It may well be a very long visit.  While you are captive in that land, work to improve the land, increase your family, spread wealth around, change that land for your Savior.

This runs counter to a lot of the teaching I've heard, particularly from some of the popular Calvinistic sources.  We are told we should maintain a "wartime" mentality.  We should give everything away.  We should devote ourselves to service projects, particularly in economically depressed areas.  We should devote our lives to something worthwhile, like the teaching of the Bible.  We want to ignore all earthly pulls and claims, striving for victory which results in heavenly blessing.  

This all sounds very nice, very spiritual, but it isn't the picture the Scripture gives us.  Rather, as we are engaged in this wartime captivity we are to carry on the vocation the Lord has given us.  We are to raise our families.  We are to be God's instrument in giving people their daily bread.  We are to be diligent in our occupations, also teaching our children to be diligent and to serve their neighbors for the Lord's sake.  Our Lord will end the captivity at some time.  Our job is to be fruitful in the society that holds us captive, praying for that society as well.

Jeremiah 26.1-19, Matthew 26.20-35 - Lectionary for 11/13/09

Today's readings are Jeremiah 26.1-19 and Matthew 26.20-35.

Who is faithful to the Lord?  Our Savior tells his apostles that one of them will betray him.  None of them wishes to be the one who betrays the Lord.  Often we point to Judas as the one who betrays the Lord.  While this is true it is inadequate.  Not only Judas, but the rest of the twelve deny their Lord.  Not only Peter denies the faith, but the others deny the faith by their flight.  Not only the apostles, but we deny Jesus in our hearts and attitudes.  We fall into disbelief and live as if the Lord is not God.  We fall into doubt of our Savior's providence.  We live like atheists.  Every one of us betrays the Lord.  We fail daily.  Though we wish to fear, love and trust in God at all times, we fall short and deny our Lord, betraying him to death.

Thanks be to God that in the midst of this passage of Matthew, sandwiched right between messages of doom and gloom, Jesus points to his body and his blood - his perfect sacrifice on our behalf.  Jesus points us to our sin.  Then he points us to his blood which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.  Are we partakers of his body and blood?  Are we partakers of his divinity?  Then we have the life-giving forgiveness flowing through our mortal bodies.  We are proclaimed faithful, though we know our doubt.  We are proclaimed forgiven though we know our daily denial of the Lord.  We will be called to eat and drink with our Lord in his kingdom.