Lectionary for 7/31/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 16.1-23 and Acts 25.13-27.

We see Paul in the process of being sent to Caesar for trial.  There is one significant problem in the mind of Festus, the governor.  It seems there is no charge against Paul which is worthy of a trial.  Yet this is the situation that Festus has to deal with.  He has a prisoner, a Roman citizen, someone who will be put to death by angry Jewish leaders if he is released.  Festus' job is to protect Roman citizens.  Wouldn't it be nice if there were some sort of criminal charge?  Maybe Festus can find a reason to deport Paul or otherwise put him away.

Passages like this always remind me that I should pray for my governmental leaders more.  They really don't understand the overall scheme of things in this country much better than anyone else.  By and large they don't understand what God's perspective on society and culture is.  They are supposed to represent the population as a whole, but we are a very diverse population.  What is best?  They won't please everyone, that's certain.

Once in a while our government officials will have receptive moments.  They are ready to hear ideas that will help them do their job well.  Are we ready to talk with them reasonably?  Are we ready to do more than complain and criticize?  May the Lord give our elected representatives a desire to hear from their constituency.  May he also give the rest of us a desire to speak plainly, kindly, in ways that will benefit our nation.

Lectionary for 7/30/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 15.10-35 and Acts 24.24-25.12.

We saw yesterday that Saul chose to disobey the command of God by saving back some of the Amalekite people and livestock.  He had apparently decided that God's command to destroy the people and their possessions entirely was not a good idea.  When confronted by Samuel, Saul says that the plunder is to serve as a special service to God.  This is not what the Lord had directed.  It was not the desire of our God.  Saul's idea of what would be good was directly contrary to God's will.  It is very clearly described as evil.  Verses 22-23 of 1 Samuel 15 remind us that God's desire is faith and trust.  Our faith and trust in the Lord results in obedience to his commands.  Our decision not to obey God's commands is a sign of rebellion and idolatry.

What happens when we consistently disobey the Lord?  It appears from 1 Samuel that we eventually reach a point where the Lord no longer gives us repentance and we no longer receive forgiveness.  This does not indicate that we were never believers.  It does indicate the very real possibility that people who are genuine believers, consecrated by God to his service, may deny the Lord and depart from the faith.

May the Lord bless us with repentance, with a tender heart to obey him, with a desire to seek his face and receive the forgiveness that he grants us in Christ Jesus, who has died to bear our sin and shame.

Lectionary for 7/29/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 14.47-15.9 and Acts 24.1-23.

Today we see Paul affirming that he believes the historic faith, that delivered to the people of Israel from the beginning, that faith which finds its fulfillment in Christ the perfect Lamb of God, living a sinless life and dying on behalf of sinful man.  Paul boldly affirms that he has taken on no new beliefs.  He has simply followed the fulfillment of what God had promised beforehand.

What do we say in our day and age when people offer a new experience of worship?  What about those promises that this new church won't be like your grandfather's church?  How about the church one block from my house which has said from the start that they planned to "do church like it's never been done before"?  Since Christians started taking attitudes like that we have seen a decline in the Church's influence on culture.  We have seen fewer people remain committed to Christian doctrine throughout their lives.  We have seen the family being redefined.  We have seen human life devalued.  Are we in the process of setting up new practices that go beyond the walls of the church and permeate the culture?  Are we in the process of recreating the church to follow after the culture's ideals?

Let's rather affirm what Paul does.  We will follow the historic faith.  We will hold to the truth that God has delivered to us.  We will be the distinctive body of Christ, different from the culture at large.  We will not see a need to change so as to reflect our culture.  We will stand for God, whether his word directs us the same way our culture would or in a different way.

Lectionary for 7/28/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 13.1-18 and Acts 23.12-35.

Today we see Saul's downfall.  Though he is, of course, quite alive and well, newly anointed as king, his decline has already begun.  What were the instructions God gave Saul through Samuel?  He was to report to Gilgal and wait for Samuel to come and make sacrifice.  This is a very simple instruction.  No doubt Saul understood what Samuel had said perfectly well.  And Saul even began following the instructions.  What happened?

In his trust of himself and mistrust of the Lord, Saul tried to make everything move on his schedule rather than the schedule the Lord had.  He was afraid the sacrifice would not be done in time.  Fearful for his safety he went ahead and made the sacrifice.  One problem - Saul was never authorized to make sacrifice.  He was therefore acting outside of God's revealed will.  He was claiming glory for himself, doing this work in his own authority.  This was the beginning of Saul's downfall.  He has shown that his trust is in himself rather than in God.  This is always a recipe for failure in the Bible.

How do we do?  Do we trust ourselves rather than what God has said?  Do we look for our own solutions to problems that God has already solved?  Do we try to do things in our authority?  Is our concern over our timing rather than the Lord's timing?  Do we really trust that the Lord will accomplish what he sets out to accomplish through his Word?  In fact, we fail daily.  We consistently walk into the error of Saul.  We trust our own ability rather than God's ability.

May the Lord grant us repentance, reminding us that Christ died for this kind of sin as well, and that he lives to proclaim forgiveness.

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

Lectionary for 7/27/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 12.1-25 and Acts 22.30-23.11.

Today we see both Samuel and Paul explaining that they have acted in good conscience before the Lord.  We don't find that either Samuel or Paul is sinless.  But we do find that both of them have a history of hearing from the Lord and being conformed to his will, as opposed to seeking to run things their own way.  In both instances, they are confronting a people who are refusing God's stated will.

What do we see in the lives of Samuel and Paul?  Of course, many things, too many to catalog here.  But a primary characteristic we can see in Samuel and Paul, one which we are exhorted in Scripture to develop in ourselves, is a willingness to be changed by God's stated will.  Our Lord and Savior has told us what he values.  He has told us what it is to live a godly life.  He has shown us that we are justified by faith, believing that he in fact is the one who saves and protects us.  Do we then work out our salvation according to our own reason, or is it safe to let the Lord's word change us?  The right response, though it is the response that we don't tend to like, is to let God be God and accept what he has told us.  We are conformed to our Lord's will, rather than trying to conform his will to our reason.

Will we face opposition when we do this?  Certainly.  The first opposition we face is our own reason and what we think of as wisdom.  Once we overcome that, the ridicule of others is relatively easy to deal with.  Let us go, then, and make it our goal to be conformed to the will of God in Christ, no matter what we find ourselves and others around us thinking and saying.

Lectionary for 7/26/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 10.1-27 and Acts 22.17-29.

In today's reading we see a passage of 1 Samuel which draws critical fire quite easily.  Notice how it seems that Saul is anointed twice to be the king of Israel. The first time he seems to be willing and the second time he seems to be less willing.  In fact, he is hiding when it is time for him to be anointed king.  What can we do with this oddity?  Observe with me that the first time Saul is anointed it is fairly privately, with Samuel and a few witnesses present.  Samuel gives him some directions, which Saul follows.  And the culmination of those directions brings Samuel and Saul together in the presence of many witnesses who are expecting the anointing of a new king.  There's nothing inharmonious about this at all.  We simply see that Saul is being publicly acknowledged as the king, where before there was a private acknowledgement.  Why would Saul be hiding today?  Would you be hiding if you realized you were about to become king of Israel?  I most certainly would hide!

May the Lord use us in the positions of leadership and authority which he desires.  May he give us his grace to serve him in whatever way he sees fit.  May we receive the direction of our Lord and Savior to act as loving servants to our neighbors, whether as kings or pot-scrubbers.

Lectionary for 7/25/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 9.1-27 and Acts 21.37-22.16.

Despite God's warnings, the people of Israel want a king.  God raises up Saul to serve as king, letting Samuel know that he will anoint Saul as king and bringing Saul to meet Samuel.  See the care God has for Israel.  We have to wonder if the people even had any idea how to select a king.  They had a judge/prophet type person in Samuel.  But now God prepares Samuel to anoint Saul as the king.  Even though our Lord had stated clearly that a king would be a problem, he brings a king to the people. 

Even when we walk away from God's desires, on this earth, things are not as bad as they would be if our Lord were to oppose us at every step.  He allows us to live in folly and see our foolishness.  He uses our temporal folly to drive us to him and prevent eternal damnation.  May we ever be sensitive to his call, perceptive of our evil intents, and delighted by his forgiveness.

Lectionary for 7/24/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 8.1-22 and Acts 21.15-36.

Today we see Israel heading for trouble.  They want a king so they will be like the other nations.  How like us these Israelites are.  We also want to be as much like the world around us as possible.

What does God do?  He warns them of the troubles which are to come - poverty, domination by one of their own (even worse than domination by an enemy), high taxes, constant military action, loss of personal property - there's lots that can go wrong when you have a powerful centralized government.

What do the people do?  They want a king.  No matter the consequences, their desire is to have a king and live like the other nations.  

God's response is that the Israelites can have a king.  Our Lord allows us to go our way, to fall short of his desires, which would be best for us.  Eventually, as we choose to go our way, we have deviated from God's grace and are no longer living as Christians.  This brings death and condemnation.

Let us heed God's commands, know his will for us is good, and seek to love and trust him in all our life.

Lectionary for 7/23/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 6.19-7.17 and Acts 19.1-22.

Today we see some disciples in Acts who had not heard of the Holy Spirit.  They did not know about Jesus.  They had been baptized into John's baptism.  Notice that Paul in no way considered them to be baptized believers.  They had not heard the proclamation of Jesus.  They had been baptized as a sign of their repentance, but that is not Christian baptism.  It is John's baptism.  Paul baptized these people with a trinitarian baptism when they had heard the proclamation of Jesus as Lord, the fulfiller of the prophecies announced by John and his disciples.  

How many people are still practicing John's baptism, not seeing the mighty efficacy of Christian baptism!  We require adequate signs of repentance.  We require testimonials.  We require people to prove that they have believed well enough.  This is foreign to the New Testament, where people receive the proclamation of the Gospel and are baptized, buried with Christ and raised to newness of life.  As the Lutheran confessions say, it is not water, but water made effective by the Word of God, which regenerates through this sacrament.  

Lectionary for 7/22/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 5.1-6.3, 10-16 and Acts 18.1-11, 23-28.

Yesterday we saw that it is not appropriate to treat God's presence as a lucky charm that we can bring with us into battle so as to accomplish our purposes.  Today we see that God himself is quite able to take care of himself and to accomplish his purposes in any situation.  He is the Lord who brings plagues on the Philistines, who guides the cattle pulling the cart back to Israel, who brings Paul, Silas and Timothy into different places, and who testifies through them and protects them in all their travels.  Our Lord is able to accomplish his desire.

What is the chief desire of God as revealed in Scripture?  That there should be redemption for the sin of the world, and that the redeemer should be none other than God the Son.  And so we see throughout the New Testament the message that the Christ is Jesus (Acts 18.5) and that he has come to purchase all who believe into newness of life.

Lectionary for 7/21/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 4.1-22 and Acts 16.23-40.

In today's readings we see that the true God is truly mighty.  He is not a lucky charm to be paraded out into battle in order to help people accomplish their own purposes.  He is present with his people by faith, not by their deeds.  He is present with Paul and Silas in prison, though they cannot see him in any way.  He is so present to care for his people that they cannot be held by prisons.  He is so present to care for the people he has chosen that he provides messengers to speak his word and even contains the people who are rightly imprisoned when he breaks his apostles out of prison.

When we see circumstances that seem daunting, let us simply walk by faith and trust that the Lord is present with us, accomplishing his purposes.

Lectionary for 7/20/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 3.1-21 and Acts 16.1-22.

 

See today the call of Paul to go to Macedonia.  What do we make of this call?  Should we expect such a call ourselves, to tell us what God's good pleasure for us it?

 

First, we observe that Paul was engaged in service to his neighbors wherever Christ had placed him.  We likewise should work diligently in the vocation God has given us wherever we happen to be.

 

Second, we observe that Paul's call was something very clear which helped Paul know where he was to go.  I think we can safely say that if we receive a very clear vision from God telling us to specifically go and do something which is in accord with the Scripture we should make every reasonable effort to do it.  God will provide a way and we will be able to go serve the people our Lord would direct us to.

 

Third, we observe that this is one of only a few times in the New Testament when someone seems to be told by supernatural means where to go in service to Christ.  If it were to be expected as a common thing we would see it more.  So we don't want to pin our hopes and plans on receiving a supernatural and obvious call from God.  We normally can expect that our Lord will provide us with a vocation and a place in which to carry on that vocation.  Our job is to diligently serve the Lord wherever we are.

 

Lectionary for 7/19/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 2.18-36 and Acts 15.22-41. 

 

In today's reading we see the early believers purposefully spreading the Gospel.  The leaders of the Christian community gather to articulate some of the essential messages they consider most critical that people hear, they appoint some to go with that message, and the appointed messengers carry the words of life to people who have not heard before, as well as clarification, edification, and exhortation to those who have previously heard.  In unity and even after a time of dissension, the Gospel is carried to and fro by these messengers, not only Paul, Barnabas, Mark, and Silas, but many other believers.

 

Do we sometimes forget the purpose of the Church - to nourish and strengthen believers?  Let us not become too concerned with this world's estimation of what makes a successful church.  Let us rather be concerned with God's Word.  A steadfast focus on Word and Sacraments will serve to nurture believers in their faith.  And we can trust that the faithful proclamation of God's Word will accomplish salvation in all he would draw to himself.  He accomplishes his purposes. 

 

May we walk today trusting the ability of this great, mighty, supernatural God.

 

 

Lectionary for 7/18/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 1.21-2.17 and Galatians 6.1-18.

We see in 1 Samuel a stark contrast in the way different people respond to God's blessings.  Hannah responds to God's blessings with thanksgiving and humility.  Eli's sons respond to God's blessings with an attitude of entitlement.  The way we respond to our Lord's providence shows a good deal about our spiritual condition.  Do we receive evil and call upon God to help us?  That's quite common.  But how do we act when we receive good?  Do we praise our Lord or do we praise ourselves?  Do we thank God for providing for us or do we look to the human means of provision alone?  Do we receive what we receive knowing that the only reason we receive good is that our Lord and Savior has had mercy on us?  Do we receive what we receive and think we deserve it, or even better?

Hannah gets it right.  It is God who raises up the weak and throws down the mighty.  It is the Lord who knows what is just and then does what is just. It is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has taken captivity captive and defeated sin, death, and the Devil on the cross.   Let us give glory and honor to him alone.

Lectionary for 7/17/09

Today's readings are 1 Samuel 1.1-20 and Galatians 5.1-26.

Our reading in Galatians today talks about the believer falling from grace.  This idea of falling from grace is widely misunderstood in the Church today.  We often think of a fall from grace as showing up in a fall into sinful behavior.  Among some branches of Christianity this ends up being equated with the behaviors listed in Galatians 5.19-21.  I remember well the people who made it quite clear that believers would not engaged in social drinking (antisocial drinking was all right?), tobacco use, dancing, or theater-going. What does Paul say about the fall from grace?  

Paul says the fall from grace puts us not into licentious behavior but into bondage to legalism.  Those who have fallen from grace try to earn, maintain, or prove their spirituality by the works of the Law.  Law and Grace are the polar opposites, as Paul sees them.  So what of the people above who took a firm stance against drinking and the like?  Paul would say they have fallen from grace and are in bondage to the Law.  

What is the believer's response to such a passage of Scripture?  First of all, we are confronted with our sinful tendency to try to earn our salvation.  We all bind ourselves to the Law all too easily.  It's so nice to know what we can do.  "What must we do to be saved?"  The answer, of course, is, "Nothing, the very fact that you ask that question indicates you are saved.  Now go live like you are, in the grace of God, giving thanks to him.  And be baptized as our Lord commanded, since clearly you are already exhibiting that regeneration which the Lord promises."  So what about the social drinking, tobacco use, dancing, or theater-going?  We don't have to do that kind of thing, but our Lord has not commanded against it.  We do not earn merit by doing it or by not doing it.  Let us merely be guarded in how we conduct our lives, being good stewards before our Lord of what he has so graciously provided.

Lectionary for 7/16/09

Today's readings are Judges 16.4-30 and Galatians 4.12-31.

As we bring the readings about Samson to a close and we continue to remember that he was a flawed man, just like we are, let us look to Paul's exhortation in Galatians.  We who bind ourselves to Mount Sinai, the Law, the requirements of God, are actively striving to bring ourselves into bondage and slavery.  Yet the Gospel of Christ is what makes us children of promise, not children of slavery.  Christ has bound himself to the Law and has overcome sin and death on our behalf.  We who were children of bondage are now proclaimed to be children of promise.

There's something very important that happens in the church I attend.  It's quite common within historic Christianity.  A divine service begins with the simple statement, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  And this is how we are children of promise.  Our calling, our very identity, comes from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the trinity.  Because the triune omnipotent God has called us out of bondage into freedom we know we are free.  Because he has placed his name upon us as we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we know the favor with which God has treated us and will protect us.  Because we realize that the proclamation of the Gospel is in the name of the triune God we receive it as the very word of God, for us, and not against us.  We are indeed children of promise.

Lectionary for 7/15/09

Today's readings are Judges 15.1-16.3 and Galatians 3.23-4.11.

I remember once reading about Samson, that he was able to be a judge of Israel because he was really actually good.  He was truly doing everything that he did in the Bible out of a positive motivation, maybe some civil disobedience, maybe some undercover work to infiltrate the enemies, but certainly he was good.  That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen.  How is Samson portrayed in the Bible?  He breaks his vows. He is self-centered.  He is greedy.  When he gets in trouble he whines that God is abandoning him.  He gets tired of his wife and gives her away.  He wants her back.  Whenever he sees a woman who is attractive to him he falls prey to his desires.  Samson is not good. He, in fact, is sinful. 

What's the hope here?  God uses Samson to deliver Israel.  He treats Samson with his favor.  Samson, a man who is a lot like us, is a recipient of all sorts of undeserved favor, just like we are.  Can we look at Samson and see that he acts in a sinful way?  Sure we can.  We can also look at ourselves and see that we act in a sinful way.  Yet where sin abounds, grace abounds.  We sinners have received grace upon grace from the hand of God.  Lest we think we deserve it, we are able to see our sinfulness.  God's grace is certainly an undeserved gift.

Thanks be to God.

Lectionary for 7/14/09

Today's readings are Judges 14.1-20 and Galatians 3.1-22.

For some reason while I was reading today's passages a nursery rhyme came to mind.  Little Jack Horner sat in a corner, eating a Christmas pie.  Stuck in his thumb, pulled out a plum, and said, "What a good boy am I."  Look at the plums Samson pulls out of the passage in Judges, breaking his vows, using deceit and murder to accomplish his goals.  Look at the plums the Galatians tried to pull out, finding justification in their good deeds rather than Christ for them.

So why Jack Horner?  Jack Horner was the steward of the Bishop of Glastonbury, whose monastery was going to be taken over by Henry VIII.  Apparently the bishop sent Horner with deeds to several valuable properties as a bribe to the crown.  Horner, knowing the bribe would be ineffectual took at least one of those deeds for himself, the deed to the "plum" (should we call it a "peach"?) of a property, on which his descendants lived until the 20th century.  Horner ended up sitting on the jury which condemned the Bishop to die an ugly death.

We may say, hopefully rightly, that we have not done something as deceitful and treacherous as either Samson or Horner.  But what treachery and deceit have we engaged in?  Have we sought to push our own agenda to accomplish our glory and gain praise for ourselves?  Have we pursued righteousness in the Law and tried to ignore transgressions, saying they are not serious?  As Galatians 3.12 says, "the one who does [the works of the law] shall live by them" (ESV).  But the one who fails to do the works of the law will die by them.  What do we see in verse 13 (ESV)?  "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us."  Though Jesus kept the law, he nevertheless died for our transgression.

When we stick our thumb into a pie we don't pull out a plum.  We pull out something which is disgusting, dead, rotten, and festering.  Time to throw away the pie and look at Christ, the true bread of life.

Lectionary for 7/13/09

Today's readings are Judges 13.1-25 and Galatians 2.1-21.

Surely we are justified by faith, not by works of the law.  What then do we do with the Nazirites, such as Samson?  Has our Lord changed in the way he saves people?  Has he changed in the way he sets them apart for service in his kingdom?  We confess that the Lord himself doesn't change.  What of this group who would follow a Nazirite vow?  This vow included abstaining from certain foods, drinks, and behaviors which were culturally accepted as normal and which God regularly used in a well-ordered society.  Did the Nazirites find special favor with God through their self-deprivation?

We maintain "that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 2.16a, ESV).  It is faith in Christ which justifies.  It is not our works of righteousness.  Are we free to pursue those works of righteousness?  Certainly.  They are pleasing to God.  Are we free to pursue even those works which visibly set us apart as God's people who have taken on special behaviors for a period of time as a statement of faith in Christ?  This is what the Nazirite vows were like.  Typically they were temporary.  They involved not cutting hair, not eating particular fruit products, not drinking wine or strong drink, and avoiding the presence of a dead animal.  Think of the habit some people have of fasting during Lent.  They deprive themselves of perfectly appropriate and acceptable, even good things for a defined time period as a way of remembering they truly depend on the Lord rather than on those things.  This is a work of faith, as it expresses our faith in Christ rather than our dependence on particular foods and drinks.  There's nothing wrong with that.

Let us remember to do good works.  Let us remember to live a holy life before our Lord.  But most of all let us remember to live that life trusting in the forgiving work of Jesus, looking to his resurrection as the firstfruits of the resurrection in which we will also partake.  We live by faith, all the while doing what our Lord has put before us and which is pleasing to him.

Lectionary for 7/12/09

Today's readings are Judges 7.1-23 and Galatians 1.1-24.

We see today how God is able to accomplish his purposes in and through his people using his own means, not the means man would choose.  He systematically pares down the army of Gideon so in human terms they have no chance of defeating the Midianites.  He gives the Galatians the Gospel, which is God's power but appears as foolishness in man's eyes.  Our God works in ways that we cannot imagine.

What is our response?  How do we do the works God appoints to us?  We do them by trusting in the merit of Christ.  We do them by realizing that it is by grace we are saved, not of works.  There is no boasting allowed.  We trust in Christ's sufficiency for everything.

Lectionary for 7/11/09

Today's readings are Judges 6.25-40 and Acts 15.6-21.

There are many days when the Christian ends up in doubt and fear, in human terms sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly, but always in real doubt and fear.  That's part and parcel of living in this fallen world.  Things happen which show us we are not in control, that we don't have the authority or the power to command smooth sailing, and that we don't know the future.  There are a few ways we can deal with those fears.  One is to deny they exist.  Bad idea.  Fear is ultimately an imperfection in our love and trust in God.  It's not something to deny any more than any other way that we fail to love and trust our Lord.  It's something to be confessed.  Another way to deal with those fears is to put out some sort of feeler, expecting the Lord to show us with a sign, like he showed Gideon, that we have rightly perceived his will.  This is also a bad idea.  It mediates God's promises through a sign which he could perform but which other spiritual forces can perform as well and which we can easily misinterpret.  This puts us in the driver's seat, rather than leaving our Lord there.  The better plan for dealing with our fears is what we see happening in Acts 15.  We confess that we are concerned about something.  We share those concerns with wise believers.  We trust the Lord to be able to govern things well and according to his mercy and grace.  And we proceed with life, knowing that despite our doubt and fear we have a Lord who has conquered death, hell and the grave, and who also knows, understands, died for, and forgives our sin.

Lectionary for 7/9/09

Today's readings are Judges 4.1-24 and Acts 14.1-18.

I wonder if we are often like the Lycaonians in Acts 14 who mistook Paul and Barnabas for Hermes and Zeus.  They did what we so often do.  They saw what God was doing and they interpreted it in light of their cultural heritage and their expectations.  This seems perfectly natural, doesn't it?  

Just a brief challenge today.  Ask yourself what it is the Scripture really says about what you are saying, doing, and seeing.  What happens when thta is not mediated by your own experience within your own culture?  Does it make our Lord's miraculous nature seem more miraculous?  Does it make us realize just how revolutionary our Lord is?

Lectionary for 7/8/09

Today's readings are Judges 3.7-31 and Acts 13.42-52.

There's a pattern emerging in our reading today.  May it not be the pattern of our life.  The pattern which I see in today's reading is that people who should be hearing God's word and be conformed to it in faith are not.  They reject God's word and manage to plunge themselves into sin and bondage.  Over and over again we see, especially in Judges, God's people hearing and believing, then doing nothing with their belief.  They do not teach their children, they do not evangelize the world, sometimes they don't even cling to that faith throughout their own lives.  Those who should be blessed are bringing curses upon themselves.  May this never be the story told of us.

Just the same, if it is, look how powerful God's word is.  When his people refuse his blessings he raises up more people who will receive his blessings. Our God is the God of blessing to all who do not reject him.  Let us proclaim that blessing, the Gospel of Christ, as far as the curse of sin is found.  Let us live within that blessing of new life in Christ.  Let us teach our families, our children, our neighbors of the God who redeems a people to himself.

Lectionary for 7/6/09

Today's readings are Joshua 24.1-31 and Acts 13.1-12.

Is the Gospel a proposition or a proclamation?  I've been asking that question for several years now.  Our understanding of the Gospel as a proposition indicates that it is something that we state faithfully and persuasively and which should be persuasive to hearers so they believe.  We see that in Joshua 24.15b (ESV), "...choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  The person who has been hearing the Gospel does have to decide.  This is consistent with all Scripture.  We hear and we believe or regject.  See Acts 13.12 (ESV).  "Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord."  

At the same time, if we treat the Gospel as a proclamation, we can make greater sense of Romans 1.16.  The Gospel (itself) is the "power of God."  Jesus in Matthew 28.19 and Peter in Acts 2.42 clearly point to physical means of placing the Gospel on someone, in the form of baptizing, the initial way it seems we make disciples.  This is a proclamation.  It is something concrete that happens to you using physical means.  And the Bible seems to assume it will be effective in some way.

So what's my answer?  Proposition or proclamation?  I suppose I have to say it is both.

Lectionary for 7/5/09

Today's readings are Joshua 23.1-16 and Acts 12.1-25.

Today we read about the first apostle to be martyred.  James, the brother of John, was arrested and put to death by Herod.  The Scripture is quite understated about this martyrdom.  James was killed with a sword, so he received an execution that was typical of a political prisoner as opposed to some sort of heinous sociopath.  This action of Herod was pleasing to the Jews.  They knew that James had emerged as the pre-eminent apostle, a fact we often tend to forget.  If the Christian believers were simply a group of revolutionary schismatic Jews, surely putting their leader to death would stop their activity and bring the others back to the fold of orthodox Judaism.  Much to the disappointment of the Jews, the Christians were not merely acting on their own opinions.  This was no movement that simply wished to reject rabbinic authority.  There was no desire among the Christians to abrogate the Scriptures.  On the contrary, they were fully committed to a solid historic understanding of the Scriptures which resulted in their mobilization to proclaim Christ crucified for sinners, the suffering Messiah who came to redeem God's people as the Paschal lamb.

Here's the question for today.  Are we committed to an historic faith?  Are we convinced that as God has revealed himself in the past, so he continues to be, never changing, always seeking to reconcile the world to his perfect will?  Are we willing to stand for the truth that our Lord has given us through his prophets and apostles?  Are we convinced that Jesus is indeed the way, the life and the truth?  Are we truly convinced that the Gospel is the power of God to salvation?  James and the other apostles were convinced of this.  They were so convinced of it that they were willing to die for their faith.  They were so convinced of Christ's redeeming love that they were willing to suffer harm rather than to permit themselves to harm others in self-defense.  They were an army of the Word, fighting against an army of the sword.  Which are we today?

Lectionary for 7/4/09

Today's readings are Joshua 10.1-25 and Acts 11.19-30.

In Joshua we see that God's people are triumphing over the people around them.  We see that in Acts as well.  Notice the difference in the way the triumph.  In Joshua God's people triumph by the sword in the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Acts God's people triumph by the Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In this age of resurrection, Jesus has conquered death, hell and the grave.  He is continuing to conquer the hearts and minds of people regardless of political, racial and economic boundaries, through the Word, as the Holy Spirit draws people to the Father through the Son.  This is true victory.  This is true freedom, freedom from judgment.

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

Lectionary for 7/3/09

Today's readings are Joshua 8.1-28 and Acts 11.1-18

Yesterday we saw the consequences of sin and disobedience, as well as the hope of the Gospel.  In today's readings we reflect upon how God enables his people to accomplish his will by the work of the Holy Spirit.  We also remember that God's will in Christ is to bring people of all nations to repentance and faith in Jesus.

How does our Lord glorify himself today through the obedience of his people?  Do we see the strength and comfort of our Lord and savior as we gather in worship, as we receive from the Word of God, as we live out our vocations in this world?  We most certainly do see our Lord's care for his people.

Acts 11.18b (ESV) "...to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

Lectionary for 7/2/09

Today's readings are Joshua 7.1-26 and Acts 10.34-48.

"It just doesn't seem so bad.  Not like other people's sins."  Have you ever heard that?  Maybe you've said it, at least to yourself.  Not uncommon.  In fact, probably everyone reading this can make a very valid comparison to others.  Look around at our world.  There are people who do much more societal harm than you do. 

Achan's sin didn't seem to be a big thing.  He saw some stuff that he liked, grabbed it while plundering, and hid it away.  This isn't that unusual.  In Britain after World War 2 there were countless unregistered, illegal German pistols, knives, and other pieces of military equipment, quietly pilfered from the battlefield and taken home.  What was a big thing was God's specific command.  He had directed the people of Israel to treat their battle in Jericho as different from all their other battles.  They were to take nothing.  Zero.  Nada.  No plunder was allowed.  God spoke and he expected his people to obey his command.

What is the penalty for Achan's breach of God's command?  He is picked out and killed along with his family, in a public cermony.  They are stoned, then burned, then a heap of stones is built over them as a memorial.  It is obvious to everybody what happens when you transgress against God.

What hope do we have?  We find great hope.  First, God knows all that his people do and endure.  He knows how to care for them.  Second, we see that in fact the Lord is the one who fought the battles his people were engaged in.  Third, we see that in Christ there is forgiveness.  For whose sins did Christ die?  He died for the sins of all those who are in rebellion against God.  He died as the substitute for all those sinners who would ever live.  And his death is applied to all who believe he died for them.

Lectionary for 7/1/09

Today's readings are Joshua 6.6-27 and Acts 10.18-33.

Did you ever wonder why you are where you are?  How about why you are doing what you are doing?  I'm sure Peter wondered that in Acts 10.  He has received a vision from God which he understands to be telling him that it is appropriate to bring the Gospel to Gentiles.  He has now spent over a day on the road before arriving at Cornelius' house.  Yet he still doesn't know exactly what it is that Cornelius wants.  Upon Peter's arrival he finds Cornelius' house filled with relatives and friends.

When we don't know why we are where we are, sometimes it's a good idea to do as Peter did, and ask.  "Why did you send for me?"  There's no telling, someone might answer you.  What was Cornelius' response?  "We want to hear what the Lord wants to tell us.

Opportunities for personal ministry like this one are quite rare.  But something we should remember is that Cornelius is classified as a "God-fearer" - someone who apparently believed in God as revealed in the Scripture.  He had a desire to hear more accurately about Jesus, as he did not know who the Messiah might be.  This is not your garden-variety unbeliever who has never really heard much about the Bible and hasn't shown much interest in God's people.  This is someone who has been confronted with the reality of God and who is seeking him out.

In today's reading we don't get to see what Peter told Cornelius and his household.  Let it suffice to say that Peter explained the Gospel - that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the anointed one of God, come to save his people by dying in their place on account of their sins, that he has been raised to life again by the power of God, and that he has ascended to the right hand of the Father, sending the Holy Spirit to draw people to him.  Peter took what he knew about his situation and used it to speak plainly for his Lord and Savior.

What is our situation today?  May the Lord use us to speak clearly in his name when that is an option available to us.  May the Lord use us, whatever our calling, to fulfill his will this day.