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.