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.

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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.

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