31 May 2015 - name above all names

God reveals that he is a Trinity, three persons united in love. He does this not to become more obscure to us but in order that we might know him more.

We worship, but we doubt. Even after when we know that Jesus is risen from the dead we still have further to go to overcome fear and engage fully the mission which God has for us.

The end to these doubts begin with a name. Perhaps even more than the tetragrammaton which the Jewish people dare not speak, this name reveals the deepest truth of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not merely loving, he is love eternal. If God were merely one and not also three he could not be described as love itself. He could possibly be loving in relation to creation after creating. But in himself he would not be love. It is because his name is Father, Son and Holy Spirit that we can say, "God is love" (cf. 1 Joh. 4:8).

This is something which we can understand with our minds. But it is meant to point beyond our ability to reason. From here on, God is understood better by loving than by reason. And any love at any time toward anyone contributes to this new higher understanding. 

"The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love" (cf. 1 Joh. 4:8).

But although God is love, we are not. We are each individual. We are only one. We cannot cross the threshold between self and other. God invites us to enter into his own love. To know him we must enter this love. It is the love which he pours into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 5:5).

Once this Spirit fills us we enter into the love relationship between the three persons of the Trinity. It is this perfect love alone which casts out fear (cf. 1. Joh. 4:18). It is this love which leads us from worshiping but doubting into fearlessness:

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”

This is the God who reveals himself to us!

Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?

It is amazing and unmerited grace that God wants us to know him so intimately. It is amazing that we can know any of it and not die of love but live on. For our response let us hope in in his kindness and give him undivided hearts:

This is why you must now know,
and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God
in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.

We are truly blessed that this is the God that has chosen us as his own! He is our help and our shield. Knowing that he loves us, we trust him!

30 May 2015 - having all sweetness within

We should seek wisdom from our youth until the end. It is not a trivial thing. It is not something which is meant to be left for sages on Himalayan mountain tops with no bearing on daily life.

Wisdom can be the delight of our hearts. Most of us, too used to finding delights in sensual pleasures, find this implausible. Wine, women and song seem like delights to be sure. We are content to leave wisdom hidden in the obscure tombs where we assume it resides.

Yet without wisdom all of other things can quickly lose their savor. Too much of a good thing can become distasteful. Too little of goods we should have leave us empty and longing. Only wisdom can keep our feet "to the level path".

This is how the precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart. Wisdom really can be sweeter than honey because it is the sweetness it the core of all pleasure. It enlightens the eyes to see where this true pleasure is found. Unlike the worlds ideas about pleasure this sweetness endures forever because it is rooted in God and his design.

Fair enough. But what is it? How do we find it? Are we off to distant mountains after all?

No. It is the simple who find wisdom. They find it by trusting in the precepts and law of the Lord to refresh them. At it's core, wisdom is the ability to answer the question of whether something is "of heavenly or of human origin" It is the ability to recognize the "authority" of Jesus. When we recognize this we trust in his commands and allow him freedom to do what he wants in our lives. We don't rebel. We don't ask, "By what authority are you doing these things?" Instead we come to Jesus with simply trust. He speaks with an authority which we can hear. "For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (cf. Mat. 7:29). We realize that “No one ever spoke like this man" (cf. Joh. 7:46) and so we submit ourselves to these words. Here is the wisdom we need. In the word of Jesus and in his Body we find "all sweetness within" just as we sing in adoration.

Let us taste this sweetness! Let our hearts rejoice in it!

29 May 2015 - trying to fig-ure it out.

Let us allow Jesus to purify us. 

We don't want to be barren fig trees. We want to bear fruit in due season (cf. Psa. 1:3). We want to be the faithful and prudent servant who distributes food at the proper time (cf. Mat. 24:45).

We can't buy these fruits from temple money changers. We really wish we could. We wish that the careful arranagement and use of our own strength and resources could yield the results which Jesus desires. He will not let these illusions persist. He drives the money changers out. He wants our Church and therefore each one of our hearts to be a house of prayer. It isn't about effort. Money and other things of this world aren't problems until we begin to try to use them to buy entrance to the kingdom or fast passes to sainthood. So let us allow Jesus to drive these money changers from our hearts. They have nothing to offer us.

Instead, let us receive the fruit from the only place from which it comes: the Holy Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (cf. Gal. 5:22-23).

The upside to not being able to buy it is that it is not dependent on any conditions or circumstances of this world. Even if it is "not the time for figs" our faith is the door through which the Spirit enters us, fills us, and bears his fruit in us.

Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.

We hear this and begin to think that we have to earn it. We imagine that the reason that we aren't moving mountains is because we haven't achieved a certain level of holiness. But this is not the case. If we embrace the faith Jesus offers we too can move mountains even today.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (cf. Jam. 1:6-8).

This is how we leave a legacy that endures even if we ourselves are forgotten. Our legacy becomes part of the legacy of the covenant fidelity of God to his people. Rather than simply being remembered we give the world a form of wealth which remains: the love of God.

Their wealth remains in their families,
their heritage with their descendants;
Through God’s covenant with them their family endures,
their posterity, for their sake.

The Lord wants fruit, true wealth, and festive dance for his people. He purifies us precisely because he "takes delight in his people" and wants the best for us. May he purify us so that we truly rejoice.

28 May 2015 - that i might see

Let us be like Bartimaeus this morning.

Let us say to Jesus, "Master, I want to see."

We are all blind to some degree. We don't say, "I recall God's works; what I have seen I will describe" because we don't see it.  Even though the way in which God's glory fills all things is "clear to all" we are still somehow blind to it.

After all, God's works are amazing! "How beautiful are all his works! even to the spark and fleeting vision!" Even if we see this to some degree, "can one ever see enough of their splendor?"

And so we pray, "I want to see."

We ask Jesus to have pity on us so that we can see that his kindness fills the earth.

Because, after all, we see a lot in this world that is imperfect. We see many things which are less than kindness. We do not always see beauty. We do not see as much justice and right as we would like. There is a deeper truth than this ugliness. There is a beauty untainted to which we long for our eyes to be opened. There is a deep purpose to all things which the corruption of sin is unable to taint or destroy.

And so we pray, "I want to see."

Even amidst the sufferings of this world we want to see God's hand at work restoring and giving life. We do not ask to be distracted by abstractions with no connection to the world in which we live. We ask to see the beauty of God's purpose even here and now. We long to say, "O Blessed Fault! O Necessary sin of Adam!" as we behold the beauty that God brings forth even through our weakness, even through our ugliness, even through our failure.

And so we pray, "I want to see."

And we hear, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

And we pray "I want to see."

And we hear, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." But we cannot go our own way anymore. Together with Bartimaeus we follow Jesus on his way.

Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.

27 May 2015 - he goes ahead of us

The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,

and Jesus went ahead of them.

They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.

When we face uncertainty Jesus does for us what he does for the Twelve. He tells us in advance what is going to happen.

Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them

what was going to happen to him.

But it isn't necessarily easily to digest.

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man

will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, 

and they will condemn him to death

and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,

spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,

There are hardships in the future. Jesus knows this. He tells us this. He tells us about hardships in advance so that we may have peace. How does it help us to know about them in advance? Doesn't that just contribute to our anxiety? It helps because it puts our trials in perspective.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

He tells us this so we can see our afflictions for what they are: momentary and passing.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison

The danger is that we hear about the threat and tune out the promise. We try to find other things to fixate on. We try to distract ourselves from the threat instead of focusing on the one who has already overcome all threats.

Grant that in your glory

we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.

It isn't about this. It isn't about building up our own egos. It isn't about giving our pride something to which to cling. Instead we are called to let the hard times empty us of our selfishness. We are to follow the one who comes to serve.

For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

and to give his life as a ransom for many

It is this perspective, a perspective we can only have when we focus on the promise and not distractions, in which suffering is imbued with meaning.

When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus he does "Give new signs and work new wonders." The power of his resurrection, the light of his kindness, transforms our fear into fearlessness.

Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,

will give thanks to you forever;

through all generations we will declare your praise.

26 May 2015 - a cheerful giver

The just one’s offering enriches the altar
and rises as a sweet odor before the Most High.
The just one’s sacrifice is most pleasing,
nor will it ever be forgotten.

Why do we hold back when we sense that God is asking for something from us? Anything we have is already a gift from him anyway. Let us be generous in giving to God. 

Give to the Most High as he has given to you,
generously, according to your means.

When we hold back what is it of which we are really afraid? Aren't we worried that we won't have enough left over for ourselves? Aren't we worried that if we start putting things in God's hands we won't be able to survive ourselves? But isn't this silly? Everything we have is from him. All that we are is from him.

He isn't asking for us to be reckless. He isn't asking us to just throw away the things he has given us in imprudent ways. This sort of spirit is not the giving and generosity which the LORD desires. It is a sort of bribe or an exhortation. It is something which the LORD isn't asking that we do anyway to prove a point. This isn't what he wants.

He is looking for us to pay our tithes in a spirit of joy. He wants us to offer not a bribe but a sacrifice of praise. When we give from a sincere heart he cannot be outdone in generosity. No one who does "will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age, and eternal life in the age to come."

We are afraid because of possible persecutions. We hold back because we are afraid of them. And they do in fact come. But when we truly give up everything to follow Jesus we have all we need. We say the "saving power of God."

25 May 2015 - glad cries of freedom

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

What is holding us back from following Jesus?

It might be "the error of the ungodly". But on the other hand, maybe we have kept the commandments. Maybe we can say "all of these I have observed from my youth." Perhaps things which aren't inherently evil are still holding us hostage. Maybe our possessions are possessing us.

No matter what is holding us back from following Jesus he wants to provide us a way back to him if we've left his presence and a way forward if we feel stuck.

To the penitent God provides a way back,
he encourages those who are losing hope
and has chosen for them the lot of truth.

We can't do any of this on our own. Only God can take away the guilt of our sin. Only with him as our shelter from distress are we secure enough to let go of our possessions when he asks us. They seem to provide us with stability. We treat them as a shelter instead of the LORD. When he calls us to lay them down the temptation is to walk away sad.

It is actually impossible for us to be free from sin and free from our possessions in the way we need to be. But, "All things are possible God." When we experience, "glad cries of freedom" we hear Jesus say "follow me" and we do not walk away sad. We follow with joy.

24 May 2015 - come great fire of god

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
Receive the Holy Spirit.

Breathe on us now, LORD Jesus. We aren't receiving the ability to forgive sins like the disciples. We receive something even more basic: life. Just as Adam is lifeless dirt until God's breath (Hebrew: rua, also translated spirit) fills him so too are his people lifeless to the degree that they are not filled with your Holy Spirit.

We first feel this breath upon us at baptism. The Holy Spirit descends on us like a dove as we arise from the flood waters of the font. Yet his presence must not stop there. He must mark our entire lives. He must be present to us each day in all that we do.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

Only if we follow the Spirit do we see the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And the degree to which these manifest in us are good markers of the Spirit's presence within us.

Only if we follow the Spirit can we say "Jesus is Lord" in a meaningful way. Sure, the syllables are easy to form into words. But without the Spirit speaking within us these words mean nothing. Without the Spirit we find ourselves as our own Lord. We find idols on the throne where Jesus should be.

But when the Spirit fills us God is on the throne the words "Jesus is Lord" are more than mere sounds. His Lordship becomes real in our lives.  We are filled with different kinds of spiritual gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. No one is neglected. "To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit."

We are given to drink of one Spirit. If we still thirst, let us keep drinking. There is more. This is the water which is meant to quench our thirst for all times. We only receive to the degree that we are open. And there is always more to hear than we can bear now. But the Spirit is with us guiding us into all truth where our thirst is finally quenched.

Let us invite the Spirit to pray the words "Jesus is Lord" within us today. They proclaim a truth we believe and at the same time ask that truth to become real in our lives.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

Create us anew in the fire of your Spirit, O Lord, that with your disciples we might proclaim the mighty acts of God in all the tongues of the world!

23 May 2015 - this does not disappoint

This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you
and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel
that I wear these chains.

We aren't often called to wear chains for Jesus in this modern society in which we live. But would we? Is our hope something that can transcend this brief moment of suffering (cf. 2 Cor. 4:17)?

He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance
and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God
and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do we let our circumstances slow us down? If most of us found ourselves in chains, we might still proclaim the Kingdom of God, but we probably do it with less assurance, hindered by our suffering. We would open our mouths to proclaim Jesus but think of our own suffering and the suffering of our listeners and imagine that such pain somehow makes the message of the Kingdom less believable. In effect, we think a truly good God would not allow such things to happen. We know Jesus is supposed to be all-good and all-loving. But how can we say this amidst the suffering and trials of the world?

We can do it if we are rooted in hope. Paul is willing to wear chains for his hope. He is willing to stand trial for his hope (cf. Act. 26:7). "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (cf. Rom. 5:5). "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold" (cf. 2 Cor. 3:12).

We hope for what we do not yet see. It is a hope which is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus. Yet w wonder why we live in a world where we must hope. We wonder why we don't have everything we need already. And our assurance wanes and we are hindered. But this isn't Christian hope. Christian hope is transformative. It is the ability to live in the reality of things to come even more than the things we see before our eyes. It is the fact that these realities are more true and more permanent than anything our eyes behold. That is why "our citizenship is in heaven" (cf. Phi. 3:2) we must therefore "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (cf. Col 3:2-3). We need to fix "our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (cf. Heb. 12:2).

This is Christian hope. This hope is not wishy-washy. It has genuine power to let us live our faith in this world. It enables us to proclaim the Kingdom of God without hindrance and with complete assurance. The chains of circumstance are less real than the love of the Savior. We don't need to compare our lot to that of anyone else. We no longer think of others as more qualified to preach the good news and ourselves less so. We hear Jesus say, "You follow me" and because of our hope we follow. 

There is, after all, a lot to say.

There are also many other things that Jesus did,
but if these were to be described individually,
I do not think the whole world would contain the books
that would be written.

The King we serve is so great. He is deserving of all of our hope. 

The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold,
his searching glance is on mankind.

He does all things well and nothing escape his loving concern. Let us place all of our hope in him.

22 May 2015 - love is a verb

Simon, son of John, do you love me?
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus asks if if we love him this morning. We say yes and he does not dispute it. But he does ask a second time and then a third.

He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

We are distressed that he keeps asking. Is he suggesting that our answer is not true, that we do not in fact love him? No, he does not say that. He does not dispute our answer. But he keeps asking. Why? Perhaps he is trying to draw from us the full implications of our own responses.

Our love cannot be mere words. "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth" (cf. 1 Joh. 3:18). These deeds are not separate from our love for Jesus. They are born from this love. They are the natural consequences of this love which Jesus himself draws from us. He asks us if we love him and these deeds are the responses we bring to lay before him. 

Only love which is a response to Jesus can actually feed his sheep.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (cf. 1 Joh. 4:10-11).

Only love which is a personal answer to the question, "Do you love me?" will be strong enough that we can lay down our lives for his sake.

He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Everything Paul does a response to this love. He insists on making known that even though Jesus died he is now alive. Earthly powers do not intimidate him. Even waiting for the Emperor's decision about his case is just an opportunity to proclaim the risen LORD.

It is the power of the Spirit within us that responds to Jesus when he asks, "Do you love me?" We do not have the power on our own to say yes with our entire being. But Jesus himself gives us his own Holy Spirit so that we can say yes as completely as he does.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him (cf. 2 Cor. 1:19-20).

Jesus gives us his Spirit. Let us respond with all that we are!

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

21 May 2015 - that we may be one

And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Jesus gives us his glory by giving us himself. He comes to live within us. He receives his glory from the Father from whom he receives all that he is. The more we let Jesus fill all that we are the more his glory is revealed in us. That is why Paul wants his readers to know, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (cf. Col. 1:28). As he comes to dwell in our hearts we share all things with him (cf. Joh. 17:10). We become God's own righteousness in him (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).

The union we have is not simply a repairman staying in our house to fix it up. It is a spousal union. It is love consummated. It is not something which can be perfected in isolation. Love is only real in relationship. Jesus wants all to have amazing relationships, not just with him, but also with one another. This is how his glory is revealed. In fact it is the only way that we may see the glory that the Father gives Jesus. It is only visible in the perfected relationships that the love of the Father makes possible. If we look anywhere else we miss it entirely. This is why we need Jesus to make the Father known. We need him to reveal the love with which the Father loved him until we understand that this love is the deepest truth of reality.

This love is revealed to be a truth even deeper than the half-realities of sin and death by the resurrection of Jesus. The union this love makes possible is a union also of truth and of goodness. No lies or evil can truly be joined to it. In that sense, it can seem divisive on an earthly level. But it is the only true basis for union and peace that is more than a utilitarian or even mercenary agreement which dissolves when the benefit to one or both parties is gone. This is a love which does not let death have the last word. It is a love which is rooted in faith. It is a love which insists on the hope to which we are called. Let us be one with this love!

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

20 May 2015 - peace amidst wolves

Holy Father, keep them in your name

that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.

Jesus prays that we may enjoy a unity that is beyond the natural. It isn't just several different things sharing the same space. It is a deep unity that the Holy Spirit brings about through the bond of peace (cf. Eph. 4:3). He wants us to have this peace so that we can share his joy completely.

But Jesus sees threats to this unity and peace. 

I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.

And Paul sees similar threats. They are always on the horizon for the people of God.

I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.

Both Paul and Jesus have such compassion for the flock entrusted to them that they refuse to leave the scene without providing for their defense. We can see their compassion in the tears Paul sheds as he parts with his brethren in Ephesus. In light of this compassion we can see how important it is when Jesus and Paul pray and teach us that we may have the peace and joy of the Spirit. Their own visible presence is a secondary thing provided the peace of God remains. They do not ask for us to be taken out of the world. Circumstances are secondary. The peace and unity of Jesus can endure in the face of any circumstances. But they cannot endure if the Evil One has his way. The world can do what it wants to us. Provided the Evil One does not have his way in us, in our hearts, we are victorious. When we are consecrated in the truth the Evil One has no way inside us.

Consecrate them in the truth. 
Your word is truth.

When our lives our built on the Word of God we are consecrated in truth and protected from the enemy. We are victorious and eventually experience our full inheritance among the saints in glory.

And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.

God wants to give us a profound unity and peace by the power of his Holy Spirit even amidst the chaos of our own evil age. His shepherds share his heart and long to see us consecrated in the truth. God and his shepherds wants us to receive his gifts and to bring them to his "temple in Jerusalem", to the Church, to build it up. This peace is a witness to God's own power with which he takes our part.

Show forth, O God, your power,
the power, O God, with which you took our part;
For your temple in Jerusalem
let the kings bring you gifts.

19 May 2015 - not (just) what you thought

Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

It is vital that the name of God be glorified so that everyone can know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. This knowledge is not a mere intellectual apprehension. It is a transformation. God is so great that our whole being is restructured in knowing him. He invites us to look upon him. If we agree we find his own light filling us. We find ourselves able to keep his word. This is why John teaches that "Whoever says, "I know him," but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (cf. 1 Joh. 2:4). God won't force anyone to know him. If he recklessly revealed himself his being and his goodness would overwhelm us and take away the freedom we have in responding to him. Instead, he holds this out as an invitation to us. We are free to come to him and know him. When we do we begin to belong to the Father and to Jesus.

I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.

In knowing him and obeying him we belong to Jesus and to the Father. Jesus is glorified in us. This is why Jesus is so eager to make himself known to us. He is able to protect, provide, and shepherd us only to the degree that we are his. As his sheep and his subjects we give him permission to care for us and to love us as much as he wants even if it goes against our own self-will or ideas.

Paul for his part also internalizes the importance of this knowledge of Jesus and the Father.

Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.

Both Paul and Jesus are willing to no longer be in the world if that means the glory of Jesus and the Father is revealed.

And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.

What about us? Do we care this much more those around us? To what lengths are we willing to go to invite as many as we can to eternal life. We know that this life comes only in the name of Jesus Christ. Is his name glorified in us? Paul can say with integrity that he is done all he can to glorify Jesus and the Father.

And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God

Can we say this? Or is there some responsibility for the blood of our neighbors which is still on us? This is a serious question. Their destiny is no laughing matter. We want to be able to say with Paul that we have done absolutely everything we can for their sake. It is not something we can do on our own. We can feel our own human strength giving way as we consider the idea. God, by the power of his Holy Spirit teaches us how to make him known. He gives us the courage to make him known. It isn't a technical process for which we need great understanding. What we ultimately do is invite. God is more than willing to reveal himself to anyone willing to accept that invitation.

Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death. 

18 May 2015 - meant to be courageous

Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.

Fear is something we all have to face as Christians. We do have trouble in the world. We fear all of the ways in which trouble may come. It isn't necessarily an anxiety disorder which totally paralyzes us. Often it is just enough fear to keep us in our own homes, scattered, and isolated from the community. It is a fear that we counter by making ourselves comfortable. Yet this comfort makes us ineffective in the kingdom. Instead of this illusory comfort let us listen to Jesus: "take courage, I have conquered the world." We don't have to run from trouble. We don't have to prioritize our own comfort above all. We need to receive the courage which Jesus gives. We need to receive the fearlessness that comes when the world has done its worst and its worst is not enough. We are unstoppable because, "he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (cf. 1 Joh. 4:4).

This courage is given to us by the Holy Spirit. This is the gift Isaiah mentions, also called fortitude, forbearance, strength, and endurance. By this gift, " we overcome our fear and are willing to take risks as a follower of Jesus Christ" (CCC 1831). This gift relates to one of the most desired fruits of the Holy Spirit: the fruit of peace. It is not a peace as the world gives it, a peace that comes only when circumstances are perfect. It is the peace of those who have overcome the world.

We need to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit more than we have. There is no one excluded from this need. He always has more for us than we are willing to receive. The gifts he wants to give are not optional extras. They are given to edify us so that we can live lives of virtue. They are given for the building of the Church.

We can't people who say, "We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Yet so many in the Church live this way. We ourselves still spend days or weeks or months acting like this between bursts of Holy Spirit power breaking through in our lives. Jesus wants more for us than this.

And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men.

May Paul pray for us to be more open to the Holy Spirit. May we find brothers and sisters who can lay hands on us and help us to open ourselves more to the Spirit. May we be filled with all the gifts he intends for us to have.

But the just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD. 

17 May 2015 - shouts of joy

God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

Today, in the Ascension, Jesus mounts his throne. 

Where are the shouts of joy from the disciples?

While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?

Where are our own shouts of joy?

God has seated Jesus, "at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come." And yet, we find ourselves with the disciples staring wistfully after our ascended LORD. We lament the apparent distance which is now between us and him. Or, worse, perhaps this distance is all we've ever known. Perhaps the Ascension is just another day for us.

But in light of the Ascension things are no longer business as usual. Rather than only being available to us at one specific place at one specific time, Jesus can now be with us always. This is his very promise as he recedes from our sight (cf. Mat. 28:20). He goes, but paradoxically he is more present to us than ever. He is more available to us in the Eucharist than at any point in his earthly ministry. We can always reach out to him in prayer. No matter the hour he listens and speaks with us. This is the union of his body the Church with its head. It is indissoluble. It is intimate. It is everlasting.

If this is true why don't we experience it? Perhaps we still need to open ourselves more to the new way in which Jesus wants to be present to us and to work among us.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”

Maybe this is why we so seldom see the signs which accompany those who believe:

in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Perhaps we assume that these are for a different age. Maybe we think past ages so irrational and superstitious that they need more than we do. But can we imagine an age more skeptical, closed-minded, and irrational than our own? We need the Holy Spirit now as much as any time in history. We need him because he is the Spirit which animates the Mystical Body to be everything it is meant to be. It is meant to be the presence of Jesus here below.

Let us pray to be open to this Holy Spirit so that the experience of the Apostles can be our own:

But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

If we do, the shouts of joy will be heard.

For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.

16 May 2015 - in the name

Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

Jesus wants us to have joy. Yet none of us has complete joy. Why not? We want it and Jesus wants it for us. So why not? We have to ask! Why hold back good things until we ask? Because God wants us to realize that "it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (cf. Eph. 2:8-9). Many of us secretly believe we deserve everything God could possibly give us. This is not the case. Our existence itself is a gift. What could we possibly be owed? God will not humor this illusion. Instead, he wants us to realize that while he does in fact give us everything he possibly can give he does so out of love for us.

Really? Everything he possibly can give? Everything!

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (cf. Rom. 8:32).

It matters how we ask.

On that day you will ask in my name,
and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.

We ask in the name of Jesus. We go to the Father loves us and ask for what we need in the name of his beloved and only begotten Son. Because we love Jesus the Father is willing to pour out on us the same love he pours out on Jesus. This is what it means to ask the Father in the name of his Son. It means we ask in view of the special prerogatives that such a relationship entails. It is so far beyond what we could ever deserve. It is beyond what we could ever ask or imagine (cf. Eph. 3:20). Yet this is his promise to us. 

God wants to reveal himself to us beyond all figures of speech. He wants us to know him intimately. He wants us to be able to speak boldly about him as Apollos does. Apollos is bold because he knows Jesus. It doesn't matter that there are important details which he does not yet know. He is ready to hear and learn these when he is taught but he does not let them delay him. He doesn't let the perfect become the enemy of the good. Since he knows Jesus "accurately" he has all that he needs. He can speak the truth he does know while remaining open to learn more. He gives in the name of Jesus. And when it is time for him to receive from Priscilla and Aquila he is able to do so because they give in the name of Jesus. All of this means that the generosity of the Father is honored. None of them takes the gift for granted.

For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne. 

May we learn to do all things in the name of Jesus as well. When his name marks all of our decisions our motivations are transformed. We become thankful. We become joyful. Our entire lives become offerings to the glory of God.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31)

15 May 2015 - no one will take your joy

you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.

We grieve when it seems that the world takes something from us. We grieve to see Jesus on the cross when we think he is being taken from us. We grieve when we face our own crosses. But the resurrection reveals that the world can't take anything that truly matters from us.

But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.

The world has no power over Jesus because his life is rooted in the Father. 

In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (cf. Joh. 16:33).

We are invited to root our lives in the Trinity as well. We are invited to "ask the Father" in the name of Jesus for everything we need, knowing that we will receive it. He does not give out fast cars or nice clothes necessarily. But he does give us all we need to build the kingdom. He gives us his Holy Spirit. He himself guarantees that the fruits of love, peace, and joy will grow in our lives. This is a joy which no one can take from us. Our lives are now rooted in God. "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (cf. Col. 3:3).

We are able to hear God's word when he says, "Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you." Without the Spirit we count up successes and failures before undertaking the next task. Paul without the Spirit would be counting the beatings and stonings and shipwrecks.

The LORD would tell him, "Do not be afraid."

Without the Spirit, Paul would reply, "Fool me once."

But with the Spirit he is filled with the peace which the world cannot take away. When the LORD tells him to move he is able to do so in complete trust. If there are struggles he knows that these cannot steal his joy or his peace. He is able to trust that God will work through him for the mission and the kingdom even when things don't seem to be working at all from a human perspective. Paul may end up in chains but he has joy because he knows that the gospel cannot be chained (cf. 2 Tim. 2:9).

He has the joy which Jesus promises...

But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.

Jesus does not promise this joy only to him. He promises it to us as well, provided we root our lives in him. May our deepest identity by hidden with Christ in God. Then no one will take our joy away. With lives rooted in God we are fearless. Where is the deepest truth of our lives? Where is the unshakable core of our identity?

God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.

If we live from the very throne of God what have we to fear?

14 May 2015 - chosen

Jesus wants all of us to be witnesses to the resurrection. 

Matthias is called to give witness as one of the twelve. We are not called to this unique role. But we are all called to give witness to the love of Jesus Christ. We have all experienced the love of Jesus for us, the greatest love there is. He laid down his life for us, his friends.

Just as Jesus doesn't keep anything he heard from his Father a secret from us so too must we tell everything we hear from Jesus about this great love.

Matthias is chosen and we are chosen. We often think that we choose Jesus. But in fact, we should take the time to reflect on how his grace is always first, preparing our hearts for him. He places in us the desire to know him that he himself fulfills.

Jesus chooses us to first receive and then to share his love so that his joy can fill the world. We are called to make the name of Jesus known from the rising to the setting of the sun. No geography is excluded. It isn't just distant lands. Jesus needs to be known here in the places where we live.

From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.

We are chosen for love and for joy! We must rejoice! We must share this gift. We must be witnesses of the resurrection. The Holy Spirit himself will guide us into all truth. We may feel unprepared. But there is no better preparation than to have the Spirit within us. Rather than focusing on the details to the point of paralysis by analysis let us hear the simple command which Jesus gives us: "love one another."

13 May 2015 - known unknowns

Areopagus

I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.

Jesus does not give up on us. He does not insist that our understanding must immediately be perfect. He reveals himself in ways which we can understand...

For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’

...in order to bring us to the place where he can reveal himself to us...

What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.

None of us can bear everything God wants to tell us now. He overlooks these times of ignorance. But we must be ready to hear his call to repent when it comes. We ought not to say, "We should like to hear you on this some other time." We should desire to hear all that he desires to speak. We don't want to miss the confirmation he provides by raising Jesus from the dead. We don't want to close ourselves to the truth and miss the Spirit of truth guiding us into all truth.

We ought to be patient with our process and yet desire to hear the Holy Spirit declare to us what Jesus has from the Father. He is not farm from any of us! He is always at work! We can't close our ears even though we understand that we can't take it all in at once. Let us trust in Jesus to bring this good work to completion in us.

He is revealing his glory to the whole world and nothing will stop him if we just continue to listen to his word and to desire the understanding which his Holy Spirit bestows.

Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.

12 May 2015 - advocate and guide

But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.

Why is this so hard to believe? We aren't bold enough to say it but we think, "Yeah, right" when we hear this. We imagine how much better off the apostles must be when they have Jesus with them.

For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you

Do we know the Advocate? It is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit which makes now even better than when Jesus walks the earth. The disciples are fearful and uncertain until Pentecost. Even knowing about the resurrection isn't enough. It is at Pentecost that the receive the joy, purpose, and confidence that they Jesus wants them to have.

When Paul and Silas are put in prison they are given the opportunity to escape. But it is only by the Holy Spirit that they have the power to remain there in spite of that opportunity.  Only in the guidance of the Holy Spirit do they know there is a mission for them still within the prison. He teaches them that to remain is not foolish, but important to the kingdom. Only in the courage and the peace of the Holy Spirit are they able to remain in such a difficult place filled with sadness and they promise of suffering. But in this place God gives them the earthquake to assure them that he is in charge of the situation.  Yet leaves the choice to stay or to go in their hands. More powerful even than the earthquake is the Holy Spirit within them which stays for the sake of love.

Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;

The Holy Spirit gives us confidence in God. He is our Advocate. He gives us the strength to trust in God no matter how he chooses to work. Sometimes he will lead us out from the prisons of our lives. Sometimes he will have us stay for the sake of others. But in all cases we can be sure that the LORD will complete his work in us.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (cf. Phi. 1:6)

May the Advocate fill our hearts, too, that no blessings of the LORD go unrealized. May the Holy Spirit strengthen and guide us that no one need despair of God's love.

So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.

11 May 2015 - attention deficit re-ordered

We're slow to listen. We need the Lord to open our hearts to pay attention.

and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.

Paul testifies to the LORD Jesus. But it is even more important that the Spirit of truth also testifies at the same time.

the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.

The Holy Spirit is the one who opens our hearts to pay attention to the words of Jesus. The Holy Spirit transforms the words of revelation from being lifeless letters on a page to a living word. They become Spirit and life (cf. Joh. 6:63). Even though they are transmitted by humans they become more than mere human words. Jesus speaks these words to us through his Spirit. They are the word of God. We need to receive them as such, not as merely human words. We need hearts which Jesus himself opens to pay attention.

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers (cf. 1 Thes. 2:13).

It is then that we experience the power of this word.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (cf. Heb. 4:12).

The blessings of the word are many. It is a word which can completely alter the course of our lives. It can change the entire world.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Jesus says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Holy Spirit, come. Give us a new and profound love for this word you speak. Open our hearts to it. Only if we are rooted in your word can we survive the persecutions which are to come. Only this word can strengthen us to carry our crosses. You speak this word so that we may not fall away. Let us not neglect it. Indeed, let it be the source of our joy. May it lead us on to the victory of Easter and of Pentecost!

Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.

10 May 2015 - all the ends of the earth

As the Father loves me, so I also love you.

This is such a great love, Jesus. Help us to know and appreciate it!

In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

This love should not be something which we receive passively. It should not leave us unchanged.

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Jesus, you are the one who is truly begotten by the Father and knows him. You receive all that you are from him and pour all that you are out in love for him.

This is the source of your own joy. It is a joy you want to share with us. And so you tell us, "Remain in my love." You show us how to be in right relationship with Love. This is your own relationship to the Father. When we share this relationship we also share your joy.

But again, this relationship is not passive. It receives all and it does not hesitate to pour everything out for another.

No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

You long to see this love and joy shared with all peoples. You go to great lengths to share it. You even work signs and wonders through us to share it.

While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.

Imagine, preaching so anointed that your Holy Spirit cannot help but burst forth from the lips of those who hear it. Yet Peter is not meant to be unique in this. Your Holy Spirit responds in these first Gentiles when you call them friends. But you want to call everyone friend, not just those Gentiles. You are sent into the world so that the whole world might have life through you. You want all the ends of the earth to know the joy of living in your love, to know your salvation, and to call you friend.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

9 May 2015 - the mission link

Jesus, you choose us. 

We can be strong because you choose us.

We see the world around us going one direction. We even experience persecution and hatred from the world. But we are not deterred. We never start to see the ways of the world as normal. We never give in to the ways in which they push us to conform. 

We have this strength because you chose us out of the world. We don't need the fickle love of the world because of the love we have from you.

When we suffer, it need only serve to emphasize our union with you. When we are persecuted we have the power not only to endure but to rejoice since this is on account of your name.

The world does not succeed at convincing or bully us to follow its twisted and depraved ways. We are yours, Jesus,the flock you tend. We do not merely endure, but we serve you with gladness and come before you with joyful song.

Help us to proclaim your words. There are people still trapped in the world that need to hear these words. There are people still oppressed by the persecution and hatred of the world. There are people who reluctantly accept what the world says is normal and then don't understand why they can't find happiness. These are people who will keep your word, if we only give it to them.

You give us your Spirit to guide us as we proclaim your word. We aren't attempting this on our own. We are not only chosen. We are also equipped by you for the mission.

You keep us from some places..

because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit

..places where you do not intend for us to work..

but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,

..and draw us to others..

During the night Paul had a vision.
A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words,
“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

This is really your mission, not ours. It shouldn't surprise us how richly you provide for it. We are chosen by you for it and you give us all we need to carry it out. You give us the strength to face the opposition which we must face. But if we listen you guide us in such a way that we avoid needless suffering and opposition. If we listen you teach us just where to speak your word. You guide us to the people who will keep your word if they can just hear it. You give us the strength to proclaim it to them. You want the whole world to cry out to you with joy. Chose us, equip us, and guide us to do the part which you specifically intend for each of us.

The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.

8 May 2015 - the good kind of friend zone

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let thy glory be over all the earth!

Jesus, you call us friends! How can this be? It is too great to grasp. What does is mean?

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Jesus, your command tells us how to be your friends. It tells us not turn our backs on you or betray you. It tells us how to love and not to hurt the people about whom you care so much. Your command is, "love one another as I love you." Your command is "to lay down one's life for one's friends." You receive this command to lay your life down from your Father (cf. Joh. 10:18). You reveal that command to us, making known everything you have heard from him. You reveal to us the deepest meaning of existence. It is a meaning that touches the core of who you are, LORD. It is the deepest truth of you relationship with the Father and the Spirit. It is the life-giving love of the Trinity. We are no longer slaves who do not know what you are doing. We are now friends and brothers, sharing in everything you have.

Just as you choose the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia you choose us as well. Your Holy Spirit reveals that we are chosen and accepted as your friends. We need not remain mere slaves any longer. He invites us to ever deeper friendship with you. He invites us to move from being slaves, working to earn our place in the household, to friends who know and share your mission.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

The Father gives us whatever we ask because we join you in the mission of spreading your love to the world. This love is the only fruit that lasts. LORD, we are tired of working so hard on so much only to see it flourish briefly only to fail. We are wearied with efforts that are ultimately doomed. But you appoint us to bear fruit that will remain. Your Holy Spirit empowers us to bear this fruit. By our friendship with you we learn how to bear it. The Father will do whatever it takes, Jesus, to let this fruit come forth, as long as we ask in your name, as friends and not as slaves.

I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,
I will chant your praise among the nations.
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!

7 May 2015 - my joy in you

“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and

your joy might be complete.

Fill us with your joy, LORD. Let us remain in your love so that we can have the complete joy that you want for us.

Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love

Your commandments are boundaries that tell us how to avoid excluding ourselves from your love. The teach us not to get up and walk away from you. They aren't the path by which we come to you. But they tell us how to stay near you after you seek out and find us. This is where we experience your love and your joy. It would be enough to feel joy because you love us. But in your love we experience not simply weak human joy but your own strong, divine, and unshakable joy. It is the joy of finding the lost sheep, of finding the lost coin, of the prodigal returned home. We even experience the joy you take in us. This is overwhelming to us, because we don't seem worthy to have anything to do with your joy. But let us listen to the father in the parable of the prodigal son: "It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."

Jesus, you want us to experience this joy of yours. You want us to rejoice when any lost sheep comes home, to rejoice that "the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe." You want us to rejoice and make "no distinction between us and them". We "are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they." Without distinction we all receive the same Holy Spirit and are filled with your joy. It is not our own joy at our own circumstances. It is your joy as the kingdom grows in our midst.

No wonder circumcision is only a temporary sign marking your covenant people as separate. You are uniting the whole world in this joy. You are building a kingdom for all of humanity. You don't rejoice to create an in crowd or to exclude anyone. And even though circumcision was an important temporary step along the way this universal kingdom is your plan from the beginning.

After this I shall return
and rebuild the fallen hut of David;
from its ruins I shall rebuild it
and raise it up again,
so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,
even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.
Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,
known from of old.

You are helping us learn to have a joy which does not originate in our selfishness. You are helping us to have a joy that is rooted in your limitless goodness. This is what why we announce your salvation day after day, tell your glory among the nations, and among all peoples, your wondrous deeds.

Give us hearts which "Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations." Make those deeds, that goodness, the source of our joy just as it is your joy. Then we finally experience the joy and peace which cannot be moved, which the world cannot take away.

Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.

6 May 2015 - location, location, location

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.

Thank you, LORD, for letting us stay so closely connected to you.

You turn wine into your own blood. You give us to drink from your very life. We need never be apart from you because you want to live within us. You want to be the source of our life. Your life is not something extra. In fact, we are dry branches without you. Without your precious body and blood we wither and die. And the more we can let these fill us the more we are filled with life. Even if we can't get to mass every day we can still make a spiritual communion. You delight to honor these and file us with your life. There is no limit to the grace open hearts can receive from you.

Without you we can do nothing. We cannot bear fruit. We wither and die. We cannot work to generate this life within. We must simply stay near you. We must simply stay so close that your life fill us. We must stay so close that your word and sacraments fill us with the life for which you have already paid the cost, the life we cannot earn.

Sometimes questions arise. We wonder if we're clinging to you or to our own traditions and ideas. Is it necessary to be circumcised according to the Mosaic practice in order to be saved, for instance? We're used to saying no. But if this were a beloved practice of all of our fore-bearers who understood in it a sign of how close God is to his people we are less quick to dismiss it. Yet at the same time, it seems to present a barrier to the conversion of the Gentiles. It seems to exclude and set apart where God wants to welcome and embrace. It seems that he shares the "great joy" of the brethren about the conversion of the Gentiles.

How do we know? How do we ensure that we remain in you and that your word remains in us?

This question is not quite right. We need to remain in you and let your word remain in us and then we know. When there is a question like this we should draw even closer to you. We should "go rejoicing to the house of the Lord." We should go to where the Apostles and the presbyters meet together to see about matters like this. We should go to the place where you speak and where you feed us with the bread of life and the chalice of salvation. We should go to your very house, to your Church. This is the city which enjoys the "compact unity" of truth. Here there is no danger of us being led astray or departing from your word. We don't earn it. We don't work for it. We just stay in the place we ought to stay. It is all anyone can really ask of sheep, anyway. We aren't smart enough for much else. We needn't be.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

5 May 2015 - in the midst of trial

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.

Teach us to be thankful to you, Jesus. Help us to give thanks for everything that you do for us. But especially, help us to "discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might." The way we give thanks reflects what we value. Help us to value the glory of your kingdom above all. Make us like Paul and his companions:

And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Why are we reluctant, Jesus? Why are our hearts slow to be thankful? Is it because we encounter hardships? Are our hearts divided? Do they give thanks for blessings and yet begrudge you our trials? People can see this in us even when we don't speak a word. We can't make a good case for you Church when our hearts are like this. Yet we are like this even though we face much less than Paul.

They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.

But the disciples gather around him and strengthen him with their prayers. He rises and enters the city and proclaims the good news. Paul strengthens the spirits of the disciples right after this trial. It isn't just that he is praising you in spite of his trial. He is praising you because you give victory in the midst of trials. He knows "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." If he was relying on the peace of the world than these trials would always detract from his ability to give thanks. But he has the peace which you alone, Jesus, can give.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

This is peace which the world does not give and which the world cannot take away. It is peace which enables us to give thanks, not in spite of our trials, not because of our trials, but because of your presence in our trials, because of your deliverance, because of your victory. And thanksgiving like this is a good recipe for peace. It eases our anxiety because, after all, what can the world do to us? Just as the ruler of the world has no power over you even as you hang from the cross, so too are we delivered from his power. Just as your trust reveals your love for the Father so too does the trust and peace you give us reveal you to the world. And so you say, "Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." Our hearts hear and they obey.

Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.

4 May 2015 - not to us

Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.

LORD, reveal yourself to us and love us. We look around us and don't see everyone flocking to you. We don't see everyone following you. We wonder and so we ask "Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" But this is not the plan. You tell us that the Father loves whoever loves you, not just a select few. 

But Jesus, how can we love you before you reveal yourself? You are constantly active around us and yet we say, "The gods have come down to us in human form." We attribute your power in the world to chance or to idols. Idols of the environment, of science, of our own intellectual prowess dominate our thoughts about what matters in the world. We see things like the miracle in Acts:

"Stand up straight on your feet."
He jumped up and began to walk about.

We are much more ready to believe that this is done by some human power rather than the power of God. We are all too ready to offer sacrifice to idols rather than thanks to God. We thank fortune and chance rather than the hand of providence.

So how can we love you, LORD? We don't see you well enough. We need your revelation to teach us. We need you to first help us say, "Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory." Then we are disentangled from the world and are free to love you.

The secret is the Holy Spirit, the Advocate. He places your words in our hearts. He reminds us of who you are and all you tell us. He makes your words remain in our hearts and empowers us to love you. When the Advocate is in our hearts speaking to us we love you and experience you revealing yourself to us. It isn't that we love you first. You love us before we even really know you. You love us while we are yet sinners. But you cannot reveal yourself in the way you want or as deeply as you want until we allow your love to have its way in us. We cannot know you unless we give your Holy Spirit room in our hearts to remind us of all you tell us.

The pagans shouldn't have room to say, "Where is their God?" You want to be so present in our lives that your mercy and your truth reveal your glory to the world. You want to speak words into our daily lives and be so present to us moment to moment that the whole world can't help but see that you are the living God.

Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.