Sunday, July 31, 2011

James 1

For the last three months we have read about Paul and we have read Paul’s letters. There is no question that Paul had very high expectations for himself and for the followers of Jesus. He was unwavering in his appeal for the church to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. He also invited the church to go deep into the heart of God with their spirituality. If Paul was in the Marine Corp he would be the Chaplain.

James, on the other hand, if he was in the Marines, would be the Drill Instructor. James goes straight to the bottom line. The moral conduct of some people in the church was no different than the rest of their culture. James was concerned that these people may be deceiving themselves that they were in a right relationship with God.

John Wesley struggled with this same issue. He saw people seemingly doing the right things: going to church; placing money in the offering plate; singing the hymns; etc. But, like James, he also saw that the way these people were living was not much different than the world around them. Wesley concluded these people were holding to a form of religion, but that their religion lacked the power to change lives. James’ conclusion was very similar.

The Book of James is a lesson in practical Christianity and provides us an excellent opportunity to examine ourselves to see if we are seeking to have our lives changed through our faith in Jesus. James puts it this way:

“But don’t just listen to God’s word.

You must do what it says.

Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

(James 1:22)

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

Saturday, July 30, 2011

2 Thessalonians 1, 2, & 3

This is one of the shortest of Paul’s letters. But if 2 Thessalonians was all you had, you would have all you need. The theological summary here is more than sufficient to ground an individual and a church in Christian principles for life.

Paul reminds the church that Christ is coming again. In the words of the Nicene Creed, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” Paul assures the church that those who are in a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus will have no fear on that glorious day.

Paul also reminds the church that God knows of their persecution and he knows of those who refuse to obey His truth. On the glorious day of Christ’s return God’s justice will prevail and the faithful will be vindicated. For those who chose to go their own way and not be reconciled with God, they will get their wish for all eternity as they will be forever separated from Christ and His mighty power.

Paul reminds the church that to be in Christ is to live as a part of the Welcoming Committee for Jesus. We will get to greet Him on His glorious return and lead His procession. To be a part of the Welcoming Committee is to be working now to make ready our world and prepare for the arrival of our King. How do you do that? I have two answers to that question.

First, I remember that all God requires of me is to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with my God. (Micah 6:8)

Second: Dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you and dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. (2 Thess. 2:15 & 3:13)

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

Friday, July 29, 2011

1 Thessalonians 5

Three things stand out to me in this concluding chapter. First, there is an affirmation of the very high standards of moral and ethical behavior in the Christian life. Verses 16-22 are like a teacher’s aide in helping students learn the Christian way of life. (Like I before E except after C.)

Second, Paul in verse 8 ends the letter where he began by affirming faith, hope and love. And to make his point he uses the metaphor of the armor of God which he will expand ten years later in chapter 6 of his letter to the Ephesians. The NLT uses the word ‘confidence’ of our salvation where most other translations use the word ‘hope.’ Do you see the connection? Last night I went to bed hoping the Rays would win their baseball game. But, since they had lost their previous three games, my hope was far from a feeling of assurance. Christian hope is having confidence in the outcome, that is why those two words, hope and confidence, can be used interchangeably. (BTW – The Rays did win; 10 to 8 over Oakland.)

Third, in verse 10 Paul affirms the basic Christian Creed: Christ died for us and rose again. Because of this, in verse 18 Paul can encourage us to be thankful in all circumstances. Sometimes Christians try to muster up faith that God will change their circumstance and thus they can thankful in that hope. But, Paul is teaching that regardless of whether the circumstances change, we can be thankful because Jesus, who died for us and rose again, has promised that He is always with us and that nothing can separate us from His love.

Using that creed may be a good way to begin each day:

Jesus died for me and rose again.

Let that affirmation be ringing in your ears, and heart, as you venture out into the world.

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

Thursday, July 28, 2011

1 Thessalonians 4

Imagine you are having coffee with friends after church. A visitor, who has been blind since birth, is brought by a friend to your table just as you are describing the magnificent sunset you saw at the beach last evening? In your mind’s eye you still vividly see the awesome display of color that was painted across the sky. How do you describe that scene to the visitor? Of the five senses, sight is the only one the visitor is missing. How do you describe color using only sound, smell, touch or taste? Now you have a measure of the difficulty Paul faced when he needed to explain the second coming of Christ to the Thessalonians (and us.)

Paul relied on metaphors that were inspired from Old Testament events such as Moses descending from the mountain. It is so very important that we do not get lost in the details of the metaphors and try to translate Paul’s imagery into a literal expectation of what it will be like when Jesus comes again. Stand back a bit and try to take in the big picture. When I do, here is what I see in Paul’s description:

This is not about where the dead go when they die or what state the dead are in. It is an affirmation that the dead are in God’s care and when Jesus appears again, they will too.

Now all God’s children are equal in His sight. When Jesus comes again, we are still equal. Those who have died do not have an advantage over those who are still alive, or vice versa.

Our future resurrection does not mean 'spiritual' life in some faraway place called heaven. It means God’s people will have new and glorified bodies to live with and for God in the new redeemed world God will create.

There is grief when those we love die. But there is also hope. And Christian hope remembers Psalm 30:11

You have turned my mourning

into joyful dancing.

You have taken away my clothes of mourning

and clothed me with joy

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

1 Thessalonians 3

I have often wondered what happen in Jesus in the short period of time between when he called out from the cross, “My God why have you forsaken me?” and he said, “Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.” There are some mysteries that will never be solved until we get to see Jesus face to face.

There are other, seemingly contradicting, positions which are not as difficult to sort out. All of the anxiety Paul was expressing in this chapter is an example. Remember, this is the same Paul that writes in Philippians 4, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”

The first step I take to sort out the difference between Philippians 4 and today’s reading is to acknowledge that Paul’s pastoral heart is much like the heart of a parent for their child. It doesn’t do any good to tell a parent not to worry about their children; worry is an essential part of the parent’s job description.

The second step is to remember that the issue with Jesus mentioned above was in a time frame of an hour at most. The issue with today’s reading and Philippians is a time frame of ten years. That’s the length of time between the two letters. Acts 18-28 covers this period of time in Paul’s life and was packed with adventure, turmoil, imprisonment, persecution as well as awesome displays of God’s grace and power. Paul changed a great deal during this period. Older, wiser, and spiritually mature Paul was resting in God’s love as he wrote his prison letters.

I have been at Christ Church for ten years. If I were starting here today my message would still be grounded in Christ Jesus, and Him crucified. But, it would be different. Along with ebb and flow of life in the parish I have served on four week long Celebrate Jesus Missions, been to Cuba twice and Israel once. I have changed.

So, how are you growing in Christ? How is your life different today, from a few years ago? Are you aware of how God is working to form Christ in you? I think it is good to remember Paul’s prayer from Ephesians 3 and ask ourselves if we are seeking God to make this prayer a reality in our lives:

“I pray that from God’s glorious, unlimited resources

he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

Then Christ will make his home

in your hearts as you trust in him.

Your roots will grow down into God’s love

and keep you strong.”

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?