25 June 2026 - firm foundations?

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

It is not enough to claim to be Christians, we must live as Christians. We can't plead our case to the judge on the last day merely in virtue of our knowledge of the name of Jesus. It is disingenuous to plead his name after a life lived in opposition to his teachings.

Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’

Jesus can do mighty deeds through anyone, but it does not necessarily mean his heart has been converted. We can't assume that the miraculous things we witness are happening because of us, since they may sometimes also happen through us in spite of us. In fact, it is fortunate that Jesus can use us to reach out to others despite our weaknesses and failings, since we continue to deal with such things throughout every stage of spiritual growth. So neither the presence nor absence of miracles are indicative of our progress. It is also the case that although we may be beset by weakness until our last breath this is not the basis on which we be disqualified. It is rather about how we respond. Do we engage with Jesus through a sincere personal relationship in which we allow him to transform us and our lives? And do we continue to return to that relationship as the fundamental center of our lives even when we do stumble and fall?

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.

The contrast Jesus makes is between listening and acting and listening without a response. When we hear this parable it might at first seem that it would all come down to the type of house that we build. But in fact the foundation is far more important. Thus, even if there are architectural issues, problems with the materials, or failures along the way in the build process, we can still survive the challenges we face if we remain truly rooted in Jesus himself. On the other hand, it doesn't much matter how sturdy a house one builds upon the sand. It does not have the foundations necessary to survive real world weather conditions. 

We might be worried that Jesus implies that surviving storms depends on our success as disciples, that our acting on his words implies we do so perfectly and consistently. But much more important is the foundations on which we fall back. When we build well on a sturdy foundation that which is well built will endure. The weather of life will strip away that which is too weak or distorted. The edifice will continue to rise as long as we continue to return to Jesus as the basis on which we build. Acting on his words is thus more about our priorities and our faithfulness than any specific success or failure. 

The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.

One consequence of this parable of the wise and foolish builders is we can look at our lives and see the degree to which negative circumstances unsettle us as a kind of litmus test. We can notice ourselves becoming disturbed and ask if there is a way we could be more surrendered to him, some way we could have been more rooted in his words. But the structure that is rising on the foundation of his word is never complete while this life lasts. And yet, we should see progress, progress toward becoming the living stones we are meant to be.

you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (see First Peter 2:5).

Phil Wickham - What An Awesome God

 

24 June 2026 - his name

Today's Readings
(Audio)

When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”

At first, Zechariah had been unable to trust the revelation of the angel and speak in agreement with the revealed plan of God for him, resulting in him losing his ability to speak until the episode in today's Gospel. Somehow it was this very imposition of silence that created the conditions in a faithful response could take shape. In a way, he represented the whole human race, reiterating our doubts over and against God's desire to set us free. But in silence we can no longer fill the noise with the repetition of our own ideas and what we believe we know. We are open to the voice of God speaking something new into our lives and the world. And hopefully we can eventually express our own assent to that new thing, just as did Zechariah. No longer tied to the curse of past infidelity, he wrote in agreement with the new thing God was doing "John is his name". From there blessings were immediately unleashed, and with them his tongue was loosed. It was now safe for him to speak, since he was so overwhelmed with the goodness of God that he was too preoccupied to with it to even remember his former doubts.

Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.

The clarity with which John's name pointed to the revelation of Gabriel, and therefore to the new thing God was doing in the world, was a clarity that defined the whole life and mission of the Baptist. He was utterly unambiguous about what he came to do, about the lamb of God to whom he pointed, the one's whose way he prepared. The typical human pattern would have been to take some of the credit oneself for one's greatness and popularity. But John insisted on decreasing that Jesus could increase. Like his father Zechariah's words, he would subside so that the true Word could be heard and recognized. He possessed a supernatural fixation and focus on the core of his mission that must have been highly compelling to those who encountered him. 

We know that outside of the Kingdom there were none born of woman who are greater than John the Baptist. But this was not in virtue of any great miracles or other mighty deeds that he accomplished. It was all based on his faithfulness to the mission entrusted to him by God, his willingness to become less rather than more. He was willing to set the stage for the one whose coming mattered most and then step aside when he arrived. We who are within the Kingdom of Jesus are called to a similar kind of greatness. It might not be fantastical or flashy. But it must be faithful and focused on the person of Jesus himself. We still live in a world that insists on repeating its own doubts and despair as though they were a prophecy or an incantation. But we have something new to say, and genuine hope to offer. May we, like Zechariah, learn to agree with the word of God. And then may we, like John, live it to the fullest.

CeCe Winans - Goodness Of God

 

23 June 2026 - sharing the treasure?

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

We should not give that which is most precious to those unwilling or unable to appreciate it. Neither we nor they will benefit from such a transaction. These moments will be clear to us because our audience, while hungry, will not be specifically interested in the holiness or value of what we want to offer. In order for us to even communicate our message in these cases will feel like a disservice to the truth of the Gospel. It is not just that our audience won't receive it a spirit of genuine openness and interest. Our presentation of it will reveal how we ourselves relate to it. If we are willing to throw it forth into a context where it is more likely to be misunderstood, criticized, and devoured, than appreciated it will imply that even we don't really care about it that much. We wouldn't treat something we found to be truly holy or beautiful in that way. Yet we know that those who at one moment come across as dogs or swine may in the future be able to receive like children from the family table. Obviously, perfection is never required. But it is the very desire for spiritual pearl of the Gospel itself that transforms us and gradually makes us capable of receiving it. And so, perhaps, we shouldn't be too quick to write people off as dogs or swine. Without throwing our pearls in their path recklessly we can still let them see the way they catch the light of the sun and see how they respond. Are they humanized by what they see and hear? Do they seem capable of a genuine response? In this case we should not hold back or hesitate to share our treasure.

Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.

We want others to want the pearl of great price. But we don't want to put them in a situation where they further alienate themselves from its promise. And so we share what we have, not as a weapon with which to bludgeon them, but as a genuine treasure, insofar as they can receive it. If we were without the pearl ourselves we would want others to help us understand and appreciate its beauty so that we could receive it properly. Thus this is what we are called to do for others.

for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.

There are almost infinite numbers of wrong answers to the question of how we ought to live. And although there are many ways of expressing it, there is ultimately only one right answer. Jesus himself is the only way to salvation. And so to find the narrow road we must respond to his invitation to follow him to the degree that we become aware of it. He himself is the way, the gate, the only name given under heaven by which we may be saved. It is by availing ourselves of the grace of his gift of the Holy Spirit we become the right shape to pass along the road and through the gate to life. The gate is Jesus-sized and the Spirit make us so much like him that we too can pass through it. We cannot follow the masses, for they may well be heading in the wrong directions. This story is not a Choose You Own Adventure. But the conclusion of such stories usually fails to satisfy. We are merely secondary coauthors of a story that God is writing. And his stories are always more beautiful than anything we could come up with ourselves.

Dan Schutte - I Found The Treasure

22 June 2026 - lest ye be judged

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?

It would seem that we often indulge in judging others in order to divert attention from ourselves, both our own attention and that of others. We point out others' faults both to make them look bad our ourselves morally superior. Look at us, we seem to say, here on the moral high ground. We often pretend that our criticism is practical, as though it could somehow actually move the needle to address those things with which we find fault. But the fact of the matter is that we don't often have the clarity to provide meaningful assistance. Our eye is still too occluded with our own distorted sinful tendencies. 

How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?

We are meant to want to remove the splinter from the eye of our brother, but on the basis of a more selfless and enlightened motivation. This is possible if self-reflection and repentence are consistent practices in our own lives. When we do notice issues in the lives of others we ought to ask ourselves the reason we are concerned. Are they triggering something, threatening us somehow, or causing us to feel annoyed? Or is it rather that in the context or our relationship with them we feel that fraternal correction is necessary? Without such a relationship, either that of a fellow disciple, or with someone in one's charge, what is the point of expressing our judgment? Sometimes we may need to help clarify both our own thinking about public figures and that of those with whom we share life. But this doesn't extend very far. It probably never extends to the latest celebrity gossip.

The idea is that we will eventually see clearly enough to remove the splinter from our brother's eye. But this is only possible when we judge others in the way we want to be judged, and measure out only what we would want measured out to us. This is similar to the parable of the unforgiving servant. We can't expect to receive the leniency that we desperately need unless we are willing to offer it to others generously. We need to become like Jesus himself, who loved us too much to leave the boards in our eyes, but to remove them took the whole burden on himself first before offering to share his yoke and help transform us.

Vineyard Worship Featuring Kate Cooke - Refiner's Fire

 

21 June 2026 - whom to fear

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.

We need a functional fearlessness, with which we can avoid the temptation to conformity. With it we can be and say all which we ought for the sake of Jesus and his mission. This first point is not so much about our feelings as it is about not letting our feelings get in the way of living as faithful disciples. There will always be the temptation to hide our Christianity in the darkness, in the safe spaces where we know it is tolerated. But we are meant rather to proclaim it on the housetops, sometimes in words, but always through the way we live. More to it, our secret will get out eventually. It is better to reveal it ourselves than to have it revealed on the day of judgment. Do we affirm Jesus through the way we live? If so, there is nothing to fear. But if we deny him by refusing to be seen as his disciples we are implicitly asking him to deny us. If our lives indicate we don't want to be associated with Jesus and his message our eternity may tragically reflect that choice.

rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.

We need not be afraid of those who can hurt our feelings, take our possessions, or even kill us. We may be intimidated by them but we can't allow that fear to determine our choices. Rather, the fear that can be a healthy motivating force is that which pertains to our eternal destiny. We know that we are altogether too likely to betray Jesus at times, even as Peter did during his arrest and trial. We are rightly afraid of our own weakness and propensity to failure. We are right to fear the pains of hell and the loss of heaven, and even more right to fear offending our God who is good and deserving of all of our love. But even such healthy fear as this can lead to paralysis or even despair if it is not offset by our confidence in the love God has for us.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Fear of God must be tempered by constant remembrance of the great lengths to which he went for our salvation. We may sometimes have the mistaken impression that God is looking for an excuse to punish or condemn us. But it is precisely the opposite. He is always looking for even the slightest opening to unleash his salvation in our lives. If we have doubts about God's motivation we need only gaze upon the crucifix and things will quickly become crystal clear. Yes, it is possible to mess things up to the extent that we forfeit our salvation. But that is not what God wants, and he is thus constantly at work to ensure doesn't happen. He never ceases to supply his Spirit, helping us to be courageous and bold in choosing him as he first chose us. Even when we do stumble along the way it is he himself who invites us to stand up again, he himself who gives us the grace to do so. This life is not a battle we fight alone, any more than it was for Jeremiah, though for all of us it may seem that way at times. Life may well seem to be "Terror on every side!", but the words of Jesus in the Gospel today help us to learn to say, together with Jeremiah, "the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph". And we come at last to believe the words of the psalmist:

See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.

dc Talk - Fearless

 

20 June 2026 - flowers' power?

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

No one can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.

Excessive concern for money is a subset of a larger problem, indicative of the fact that we are trying to be the gods of our own lives. It demonstrates that we wish to insulate ourselves against all of the many things that could go wrong in the world. We become so afraid of the fact that our basic needs of our lives, including food, drink, and clothing, might not be met, that even remote possibilities of problems become intolerable. Or we turn to money because we don't find the world to be sufficient good on its own. Instead we decide that we must be the ones to ensure we have sufficient access to beauty and pleasure. Or we turn to money because we don't feel sufficiently confident that we are lovable in ourselves and use our wealth to give others reasons to want to be in our company. But when money is what we are chasing above all it quickly becomes evident to others. And it isn't a good look. When we care about money more than God and neighbor we become its servant instead of servants of the Lord. Rather than elevating ourselves by the power it promises we become something less than human, pursuing inanimate material resources as though they were our superiors.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.

Jesus didn't say that we are not to provide for ourselves. He only said that worry doesn't actually add to our ability to do so. Worry is a lot of emotional movement that is nevertheless entirely unproductive, since worry cannot "add a single moment to your life-span". And yet we are reluctant to relinquish our right to worry. We have this semiconscious suspicion that if we don't subject ourselves to worry we won't expend enough effort to make it through life. But is it ever actually worry that helps? To be sure, preparedness often makes a difference. But preparation and worry are not the same or even similar. Preparation is best accomplished with a mind that is sound and sober. But when we worry we are by definition unsettled and in no position to make well thought out plans. Much less ought we worry after the fact, or about things over which we have no influence. In such matters it is best to let God be God and trust him. At a glance the state of the world might make us think that God's protection isn't enough and that there is after all a lot about which we should worry. But faith assures us that he is at work, and making all things work for together for the good of those who love him. This doesn't assure us that nothing bad will ever happen. Rather, it is a promise that even when bad things do happen they can never separate us from his love.

Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them.

Jesus didn't say that we are to stop working and expecting God to magically provide everything we need. What he meant to address was our doubts about his ability to provide for us. The laws that he made to govern the universe allow birds to consistently find the food they need and let the flowers of the field become beautiful without striving for beauty. We too have been intentionally willed and created by him. But unlike the flowers or the birds we are made with immortal souls, meant to spend eternity with him. The regularity with which birds find food and flowers become beautiful are meant to be reminders of the steadfast love that was the motivation of the creation of the universe. Birds are sometimes caught by hunters or predators. The flowers of the field are sometimes trampled underfoot or burned. But "whoever does the will of God abides forever" (see First John 2:17).

We can learn to stop worrying by not investing in the things, like mammon, that make us worry, and instead investing in the one sure thing: the Kingdom. The servitude we impose on ourselves by pursuing our own projects at any cost makes us old ahead of our time. But "they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength" (see Isaiah 40:31).

When we take Jesus at his word we gradually come to believe the words of the psalmist: "For ever I will maintain my love for my servant". We say with John, "we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us" (see First John 4:16).

Newsboys - Million Pieces (Kissin' Your Cares Goodbye)

 

19 June 2026 - where our treasure is

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.

Do the things we are seeking, those for which we invest energy and exert effort, have expiration dates? The more vicious of earthly pleasures tend to be the most short lived, requiring ever greater stimulation to in order to approach the highs they provided at first. But even the more virtuous forms of pleasure, such as are common in admirable friendships and families, can't last forever. We may delight in a game or a good conversation but we know that such things cannot last, that trying to draw them out too long in fact often ruins them. We may appreciate the beauty of a sunset, a painting, or a musical composition, but this too is transient. We may feel as though we are touching something central to reality when we attain to scientific knowledge or especially to wisdom. But even in these cases we are still typically focused on the sphere of temporal reality, on changing things, doomed to pass away. 

We tend to horde earthly treasure as though it can provide a bulwark against future trouble. We don't use the things of earth as if they are passing away but rather cling to them as though they can protect us forever. This leads us to a constant seeking of more, a constant dissatisfaction with what we have, as though if we just somehow get and keep enough we will finally be happy. We become like the man who built ever larger silos to store his surplus gain only. It no longer provides a utilitarian value we can put toward more important things. Rather, the mental and physical cost of maintaining it becomes a problem in its own right. 

But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.

It is a blessing to store our treasure in heaven not only because in our future life it will be so unimaginably good to possess it, to possess God himself, but also because it is such a blessing to here and now let go of the white-knuckled grasp with which we hold things destined to pass away. When we use and hold temporary things knowing they are temporary in order to pursue things that are eternal we not only pursue the right path, but we also avoid much needless hardship and disappointment along the way.

For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

There is a real way that seeking heaven as our treasure makes the our earthly pilgrimage more heavenly. The more our hearts are set on God the more he will even now fill them with himself. By contrast, when we try to fill them with anything other than God we will always experience emptiness and gnawing hunger for more. God alone offers the bread that truly satisfies our hunger, the living water that alone can quench our thirst. Haven't we put up with the false promises of substitutes for long enough? Maybe we would think to answer that we have tried to seek treasure in heaven without finding it very satisfying, and we are simply making due with what we can in this mortal life of ours. But have we really? Or was that just a story we told ourselves? 

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (see Jeremiah 29:13).

Damascus Worship Featuring Olivia Parker - You're The Well