7 September 2026 - keeping the feast

Today's Readings
(Audio)

  

The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

The Pharisees were, in a fashion, working on the sabbath, though not in a way the obviously and explicitly violated that commandment. But they were doing evil, working to destroy life rather than save it, something wrong any day of the week, but especially egregious on the sabbath. 

But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up and stand before us."

Jesus was not about to allow the disordered motivations of the Pharisees to set the terms for this particular sabbath. He knew what they were about but refused to allow himself to be controlled by them. He did not compromise his jubilee program merely because of their hostile intentions. Rather, from his own divine abundance he welcomed those willing to receive him into a deeper experience of the sabbath. This was not only true for the one who received healing, but also the crowds who witnessed it. The restoration of the withered hand of the man was a microcosm of the restoration of Israel itself, the antidote to a nation which had not heeded the advice of the psalm, which said "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!" (see Psalm 137:5). 

 

The use of the word "restored" when Jesus healed this individual signaled more than a particular instance of his healing power. It implied that the larger restoration of Israel, divided, dispersed, and conquered, had begun, though not in the way people had expected. Even after the resurrection they didn't immediately realize everything that was implied, asking "are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (see Acts 1:6). They didn't fully understand until Pentecost. Once the Spirit came in power they began to participate already in a restored Israel, one that was transformed into a transnational, spiritual, and even heavenly reality. But the fullness of restoration, announced by Jesus on that sabbath long ago, still remains. It will not be fully accomplished until the eschaton, when there will be "times of universal restoration" (see Acts 3:21). No doubt this is closely tied to the final sabbath rest that still awaits us, mentioned by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, who wrote "there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (see Hebrews 4:9).

How do we prepare for this restoration and this final last sabbath rest? Our Christian communities need to open themselves to the healing touch of Jesus in order that we might excise from our midst the kind of "malice and wickedness" of which the Pharisees were guilty. So too do we need to be purified of other kinds of "immorality" that we still tolerate in our midst. We need to be brave enough to practice the sort of fraternal correction about which we read yesterday. We are not going to be the nourishing divine bread that we are meant to be while the old leaven is still present in our midst. It has a frightening ability to disproportionately spoil the larger batch. However, we cannot accomplish the transformation we need through complaining, criticizing, or virtue signaling. In fact, the transformation we need is only possible because "our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed" and in him we already have all we need to "celebrate the feast". All we need, really, is to be true to that original gift. Therefore, Paul writes to us the way with should celebrate: "with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth".

 

 

Matisyahu - Jerusalem

 

6 September 2026 - love is the fulfillment of the law

 

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

It is good to pay our debts as quickly as we are able. This is done out of respect for those to whom we owe such debts and also for the freedom that results when our debts our paid. When we owe money for this or that there are ways in which, not only our money, but our possible life choices are limited until payment is made. A loan or a mortgage requires that we be solicitous to maintain adequate employment to continue making payments. But once it is paid there are all kinds of new options available to us. We could move to a different country, or go on a mission trip, or accept a job that pays less but provides a greater sense of purpose.

However, there is one debt that takes precedence over all others, and that can never be fully or sufficiently paid and that is "to love one another". We can't love long enough or well enough that we can then forget about it and become selfish. We not only owe our neighbors for their own sakes which are finite, but also for the sake of the infinite God who made them. Therefore we can't allow ourselves to be content with weak or wishy-washy love. We certainly must avoid anything that would be harmful to them, as Paul writes, "Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law". But we can see from our other passages that the debt of love carries positive and not only negative demands.

I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.

We are not all appointed watchmen over the house of Israel in the way that those with authority in the Church are so appointed. But even we are required to not remain silent when the spiritual life of a sister or brother is at risk. When a brother sins against us we are not meant to ignore it, much less to use it as fodder for gossip.  We are meant to take it seriously, taking whatever steps are necessary to win him over. We hope to be able to do this between ourselves and him lone. But, if not, objective third parties can be helpful. And when they are inadequate, someone who can speak clearly about the teaching of the Church whatever subject is in view can be invaluable.

If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

If our brother refuses to listen even to the church we are not thereby discharged from the debt of love we owe to him. Rather, it takes on a different form, since the terms with which we can communicate with him are different from that of a brother with a common understanding of the faith. The goal of winning over the brother remains. But the way we try to do so is now more in keeping with how we appeal to those who have not yet accepted the Gospel message. It does not mean shunning such a one. Jesus did not avoid table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners. But he did recognize that they were not meant to remain in the condition in which he found them. What they needed, more than correction of individual behavior, was to hear the good news and come to saving faith. One who doubles down on sin to the degree that he will even ignore Church teaching on the matter is in a similar condition.

Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. 

We are not meant to seek and save our lost brothers and sisters merely through our own persistence and cleverness. Rather, it is only the presence of Jesus himself in the midst of us that is capable of changing human hearts. Without him present we really have nowhere to point, nothing to offer, no real meat to the appeal we want to make. He is the center, the goal, the purpose of the law and of our lives. Love fulfills the law especially and particularly when we bring others into contact with the living Christ, present here and now among his people.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.

Leeland - Way Maker

 

5 September 2026 - Lord of the sabbath

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Some Pharisees said,
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”

The Pharisees probably convinced themselves that they meant well. They desired to call the nation to a high standard of holiness so that God would hear their prayers and vindicate them against their oppressors. But in pursuit of their plan they lost sight of the personhood of others, seeing them more like cogs that were either functioning properly in their scheme, or else not doing so. From there it wasn't too much of a stretch to see someone like Jesus as a saboteur, throwing a wrench in all of those gears leading to a systemic breakdown of the system they were attempting to build. Thus, without ever meaning to do so in a fully conscious way, they became opposed to the kingdom of Jesus in a way similar to how Saul opposed David. 

Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?

David and his men were hungry because they were fleeing from King Saul. Since David was the one anointed by the Lord to be the next king the mission he and his men were on had a divine origin. Thus they were permitted to share in the priestly privilege of eating the bread of offering. This may  hint at the unique way that the role of priest and the role of king were united in David, who was "a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek" (see Psalm 110:4). At the least it demonstrated that the demands of fulfilling the divine plan superseded the liturgical norms that protected the sanctity of the bread of offering. That sanctity would have been tarnished if some random people from the road casually ate it to satiate their own hunger. But when David and his men, who had been maintaining their own purity for the sake of the mission, which itself was given by God, ate the bread, its purity was respected and maintained.

Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

The Pharisees fastidious focus on details was problematic because it made them lose sight of the big picture. In the way they taught, criticized, and argued, they trampled over others as collateral damage necessary for their agenda. And when God himself appeared before them with a different plan they not only did not consent to it, but even persecuted the one who revealed it. They were not merely rejecting a different plan, but the anointed of the Lord who made it known. They thus became like Saul who, in his pride, desired to cling to his own authority when God decreed it would pass to another.

Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

While pretending to respect the sabbath the Pharisees acted in some ways as though they believed themselves to be its lord. But their use of the sabbath regulations were not aligned to the true purpose of rest and relationship with God. After all, they were doing all they could to make it harder for the disciples of Jesus to rest and for the crowds to enjoy their relationship with he who was God in the flesh. They thus became creatures convinced that they knew better how the job of governing the universe should be performed than God himself. It only sounds absurd until we realize that we often do the like ourselves, rejecting what God has revealed in favor of what we think ought to be the case. 

Let us learn to trust God more than ourselves and to welcome the kingdom he came to reveal.

The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Housefires - Lift You High

4 September 2026 - while the bridegroom is with them

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink.”

The disciples of Jesus didn't fit the mold of people who took religion seriously in his own day. They didn't do what others did, even though it was considered table stakes. They did what others did not, even though it was superficially somewhat scandalous. So too today, if Christians don't appear to others as they would expect, that is to be expected. Christians follow an internal logic that cannot be discerned merely from the order of the universe, human nature, or previous divine revelations. They live based on their relationship with the bridegroom.

Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”

When the world mourns Christians may well manifest an annoying aloof sense of joy. Those in the world see this as irresponsible, as though attending to one's duties in the world means treating it as an absolute good, which must be grieved whenever its inherent imperfections manifest. In the face of war, suffering, sickness, and death, Christians maintain an invincible hope and confidence in the Lord. This joy does not make them useless or incompetent to respond to those in material need. Rather, it allows them to be clearheaded enough to do so. But Christians often mourn the things the world celebrates, such as power, violence, sensuality, and celebrity. They are saddened by anything which might compromise the immortal soul for the sake of temporary benefits. This reversal, in which mortal sin is a cause for sadness, but even death, in the final analysis, calls for celebration, is paradoxical to those who do not yet know the bridegroom who stands at the center of it all.

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God. 

Even Christians can make the mistake of trying to use old wineskins for new wine, or of trying to patch an old cloak with a piece of new cloth. The Corinthians did so when they imported worldly concepts of  celebrity into their relationships with those doing apostolic work, such as Paul, Peter, and Apollos. They chose champions from among them as though these figures were in a popularity contest. In choosing one over another they seemed to assume that they themselves were made better by the strengths of the preferred preacher, as though it implied something about their own value. Paul attempted to put things in their proper context, explaining that he and the others were not celebrities to be celebrated, but servants and stewards working together for the good of all. If there were truly some kind of moral corruption, if any were not "found trustworthy" that would be a separate and potentially serious issue. But the human tribunal which motivated the divisions in Corinth was not competent to judge such matters. It was motivated only by self-interest. In this sense Paul did not even pass judgment on himself, whether he was superior or inferior to others. But he did take morality and having a clean conscience seriously, which is why he was able to say, "I am not conscious of anything against me".

Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,
until the Lord comes,
for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts,
and then everyone will receive praise from God.

Rather than the praise of men, leading to competition, divisions, and even schisms, what matters is praise from God. Not only in the time of Paul but even in our day we can get caught up in concern for what others think when the only thing the really matters is what God thinks. Let's resolve to keep the new wine of the Gospel in new wineskins of renewed hearts and minds, and to keep the new cloak given to us in baptism whole and unstained until his coming.

Elevation Worship Featuring Brandon Lake - There Is A King

 

3 September 2026 - catching on

Today's Readings
(Audio)

 Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."

Life apart from Jesus is shallow, frustrating, and unsatisfying. In spite of the hard work we invest we can labor without rest with little or nothing to show for it. When we do manage to catch a few fish it is only a temporary reprieve. It is never such an abundance that we feel as though we can ever take a rest from the endless cycle of working to sustain ourselves in this world. We always have a vague lingering sense that there should be something more, an end toward which we are working, a fullness and a finality that can actually be attained. But at the same time we recognize that this could never be a matter of mere quantity. We are looking for something qualitatively different. Thus, it isn't so much about the miraculous draft of fish as it is about the one who gives us the directions that lead to that abundant catch.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."

Peter saw Jesus as more than a highly accurate instrument for locating fish, as though it was his spiritual sonar that was valuable. Jesus had shown that he was able to find fulfillment in places where Peter had assumed there was none to be found. But what mattered was not so much the individual instances of miraculous fulfillment as knowing Jesus himself. If Peter had seen Jesus as a tool for increasing the profitability of his fishing business he would not have said "Depart from me, Lord". But he recognized something deeper in Jesus, an individual that stood outside of the cycle of endless work and partial fulfillment. The true abundance was not in the vicinity of Jesus waiting to be identified by him. Jesus himself was the true abundance. Possessing him one possessed all else besides.

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

When we recognize the abundance that is found in Jesus we see our own insufficiency in stark relief. We come to more deeply recognize our own inadequacy, our deeply rooted tendencies that are not merely inefficient, but even selfish and sinful. Yet this does not disqualify us from possessing all things in Christ. Precisely because of his abundance, because he needs nothing from his creatures, he is the one person who can offer us everything. Knowing this we are free to leave our large expensive fishing nets, whatever those represent for us, in order to follow Jesus himself.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

Elevation Worship - Fullness

 

2 September 2026 - for this purpose

Today's Readings

(Audio)

 

Unlike in the Nazareth, where Jesus was unable to do many miracles because of their lack of faith, in Galilee he seemed to heal one person after another. The two individuals that started the cascade were the demon possessed man in the synagogue and the mother-in-law of Simon Peter. The first was apparently Jesus's own initiative, a way to concretely announce his jubilee liberation program and Gospel message. The second, Simon's mother-in-law's healing, was the result of the fact that concerned individuals "interceded with" Jesus "about her." Jesus does sometimes take the initiative in order to make the coming of his Kingdom known to those who would otherwise have been ignorant of it. But sometimes, particularly once he is known in a region, he allows others to take the initiative. He waits for them to use their faith to unlock and unleash his healing power. Far from putting people off of Jesus, this second mode actually draws people to Jesus in increasing numbers. This is not surprising, since they are active and involved and not merely passive as in the cases when Jesus takes the initiative himself. The fact that there is incentive to being involved draws more and more people into the orbit of Jesus. Being merely passive observers and recipients does not energize people to follow Jesus in the same way as does their active conscious participation.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.

As he cast out demons they tried to shout out something that was apparently true about his identity, "You are the Son of God." But they were not doing this to help his cause. It was not spoken with the same sincerity with which Simon Peter would later confess it. The demons were trying to sabotage Jesus by attempting to reveal something true, but in a way that was skewed and unhelpful. Most others, if they were in Jesus's place, would probably have responded, "Yes. Yes I am". But Jesus was not interested in popularity or feeling validated. It didn't help for people to hear it if they didn't realize what it meant in a deeply interior way. Jesus wanted people to receive this truth as a revelation, not as a slogan. Further, had it been too widely broadcast or re-shared with insufficient comprehension, it would only have served to shorten the time before the conflict leading to the cross was initiated. When demons tell us anything about Jesus they always do so to suggest that he is a threat to our autonomy and our ability to freely enjoy ourselves. They want us to see him as dangerous, and they are willing to twist things that are true to make us believe it. We should be aware of the motivations behind statements about Jesus, since even those with good intentions are never entirely neutral. This will help us to guard against deception.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

(see James 1:16-17)

Had Jesus been subject to a desire for popular approval his mission never would have gotten off the ground. He would have stayed in one region fulfilling one need after another in order to keep the crowds perpetually happy. But he had a higher purpose in coming than healing and exorcism, the results of which still did not address the deepest issues that afflicted humanity: sin and death. It was more important that more people hear his message than it was for him to experience sustained popularity in one area, even if it was the result of an endless list of miraculous deeds. But we should not take for granted that this was not a typical human response to success and adulation. He left those who at least superficially adored him and went on to others who did not yet even know him, some of whom were almost certain to reject him. He did this, and was able to do it, because he knew his true purpose. This speaks to the importance of knowing ones purpose generally, and the power it gives us to live as we are meant to live, to choose rightly even when the right choice is not the easiest one.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.

 

 

Randy Rothwell - For This Purpose

 

1 September 2026 - it hits different

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

 

He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.

They were not used to the way in which Jesus spoke. Other teachers would have peppered their doctrine with references to previous interpretive traditions in order to substantiate their own points of view. Jesus did reference the Scriptures in what he taught. For instance, he later asked the Pharisees, "Have you not heard what David did ... ?" (see Matthew 12:3). But although these quotations did help to establish and validate his own claim, their usage was new and unexpected. They were not rooted in any tradition of authority, and made sense only if he himself was an authoritative interpreter of God's word. Similarly, his moral teachings referred to core truths that did exist in the Scriptures. But when he presented these teachings in the Sermon on the Mount they took shapes that no one would have previously guessed. It was necessary for him to go beyond what Moses had said to fully bring God's moral law to light. He demonstrated an authority that transcended even that of Moses, who was the greatest of the Lord's prophets, and of the law itself, the most concrete and comprehensive revelation of God's will for mankind. He did not use his authority to upend or abolish the law, but rather to bring it to its true fulfillment (see Matthew 5:17). 

The reason Jesus was able to speak with such authoritative clarity about God's Word and his will for mankind was because the Spirit of God "knows what pertains to God", and Jesus was filled beyond measure with that Spirit (see John 3:34). He did not need to defer to merely human interpretations which were always somewhat tainted by the merely "human wisdom" of the "natural man" who "does not accept what pertains to the Spirit" since "to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it". The natural man responds to spiritual things like the unclean demon responds to Jesus in today's Gospel, assuming that God is out to get us, that his will means that the party is over. 

Unlike all other teachers Jesus was so spiritual that he could "judge everything" and was "not subject to judgment by anyone". He didn't have to prove anything or impress anyone. His confidence was rooted in his Father, not the unstable opinions of the crowds. One who was merely excessively certain of himself would quickly be revealed as a fool. One who tried to appeal to others for popularity would find popularity to be a fickle master. But one who was truly rooted in God was unshakable in a way that the crowds to whom Jesus spoke were able to recognize.

For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.

Surprisingly, the spirituality of Jesus that gave him the authority he possessed was not to be reserved to him alone. Since we share the Spirit which motivated his life we too come to possess the same "mind of Christ" that was proper to Jesus himself. Clearly, none of us possess this mind to the constant and perfect degree that Jesus did. But we are meant to do so more and more through the renewal of our minds that Paul enjoined on the Romans (see Romans 12:2). The more we experience this transformation the less we will be bothered by the judgments of those whose minds are still limited to the merely natural and human. We  can say, as Paul later will to the Corinthians, that "with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself" (see First Corinthians 4:3).

The mind of Christ isn't just something that is a nice way to enhance our subjective experience of life. It is necessary if we are to do our own part in the struggle against the dark powers that hold sway in our world. When our words our shaped by his mind they become powerful, and the world is changed as a consequence.

“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”

 

Elevation Worship - Here As In Heaven