31 May 2013 - not to us

31 May 2013 - not to us

“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

We immediately see why the LORD is able to entrust such great blessings to Mary.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

She deflects all praise for the blessings she is given to the LORD who gives them.  She has no selfish pride on the basis of these blessings for she knows that they come from God.  We know this about ourselves, too, when we stop to think about it.  But we often don't stop to think.  We often let the pride of accomplishment build up within us as if we do these things on are own.  Let Mary be our model and thanksgiving be our remedy!

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.

When we acknowledge that all we have is from the LORD he is free to bless us more and more because his blessings are not twisted to our destruction.  With this attitude we will truly be free and available to love those around us.

Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.

It all begins with the LORD's blessings for Mary and for ourselves as well.   More than anyone in history Mary experiences the LORD in her midst.  And because she does we can as well.

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.

And even though Mary sings a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God for the blessings she receives we know that God sings over her even more beautifully.

He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

He sings over all of us who come to him in humility and thanksgiving.  Let us hear this song as we drink from him the water of our salvation!

With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.

30 May 2013 - unsightly defects

30 May 2013 - unsightly defects

As the rising sun is clear to all,
so the glory of the LORD fills all his works;

And yet we don't recognize his glory in all of his work as much as we should.  Sometimes when they are exceptionally beautiful we take notice. But there is always more there to see than we see.  There is always more to learn of the awesomeness of God than we are ready to learn.

Yet even God’s holy ones must fail
in recounting the wonders of the LORD,

When we feel like we're missing much of what the LORD reveals we can feel reassured.  He is inviting us to an ever deeper knowledge.  He does not ask what he does not also empower and so he will provide the means.

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

We should have great sympathy for the blind man.  There is so much in God's plans for us and for the world that remains as darkness.  We stumble for want of more complete revelation.  Indeed the existence of blindness and defects in creation is always a challenge for us.  But he is generous to restore our ability to see his bigger purpose.  He wants us to know everything he has heard from the Father and therefore calls us friends (cf John 15:15).  Healing the physical blindness of this man points to a much greater healing within him.

The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

His faith lets him see that Jesus is both good and powerful in spite of the sufferings he faces.   Through this faith he is saved both spiritually and physically.

All things that exist are ordered toward our relationship with Jesus even if they don't seem like it.  Beholding them more clearly in the light of his plan we come to see more clearly how awesome he is as well.

Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all who dwell in the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it was made;
he commanded, and it stood forth.

29 May 2013 - free love

29 May 2013 - free love

Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.

None of us is completely free while we live.  We are imprisoned by the things of this world that keep us from rising to God.  They pull us down like gravity.  And if they have too much sway over they are a death sentence as we choose their impermanence over God.

We need the LORD to set us free.  For us it is simply too hard to sacrifice these short term pleasures. Even though they disappoint us so many times by promising more than they can deliver we are still tied down by then and reluctant to let them go.

Fortunately, we see in history that the LORD delights to set his people free.  His people are constantly finding themselves imprisoned due to their sin.  The LORD sets them free because of his own goodness and the promise he makes because he is so good.  And, importantly, their freedom after is greater than their freedom before.  As his people behold his mighty deeds they are moved to greater trust in him.  They are more and more willing to make him the center of their lives.

Take pity on your holy city,
Jerusalem, your dwelling place.
Fill Zion with your majesty,
your temple with your glory.

They ask the LORD to dwell at the very center of the city means so much to them.  They are confidant in his rule because of his promises to them and the deeds he has done for them.

Give evidence of your deeds of old;
fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name,

Yet even these experiences of freedom do not mean there is a road which the world would consider easy ahead for us.

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,
but after three days he will rise.”

And understandably, we do many things to distract ourselves from this reality.

“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”

But there is no glory without the cross.  To truly be near to Jesus on his right and his left we must follow him here and now in the way that he shows us.

For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

When we come as servants we are  able to ask sincerely: "Give new signs and work new wonders." It is no longer be our pride directing us.  We aren't  seeking distractions.  We finally come to desire only the glory of God.

Thus it will be known to the very ends of the earth
that you are the eternal God.

28 May 2013 - giving up self-sufficiency

28 May 2013 - giving up self-sufficiency

Peter began to say to Jesus,
‘We have given up everything and followed you.”

We sometimes remind Jesus of what we give up for him out of pride.  We don't realize how silly it is to say, 'look what I'm doing for you, God.'  Indeed if we are called to sacrifice for God the benefit is for us and not for him.

Peter's motivation is probably different since Jesus encourages him.  He is probably genuinely missing the things he gave up and the happiness they once gave him.  Jesus reminds him that what he has given up is small compared to what he receives.

Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age

Even here in this life it is far more rewarding to put God first than to seek happiness on our own terms.  We may wonder why this isn't always our experience.  It is comforting to see that Jesus is realistic with Peter.

with persecutions, 

It isn't just that he has given up so much.  In its place he finds what can only be regarded as difficult circumstances.  Jesus acknowledges these because he is a realist.  But he says this to assure Peter that amidst these persecutions even "now in this present age" there are unbelievable blessings for him.  And when we make God's will our happiness we are not building on shifting sand.  The foundation is being laid for our happiness in heaven.

and eternal life in the age to come.

This is why praise is the sacrifice that God desires most.  Praise that truly acknowledges God as first before ourselves is the context which makes all other sacrifices meaningful.

“Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

When we develop a habit of praise we begin to order our lives in accordance with the truth.  We are more free to make the other sacrifices which the LORD asks of us.

In works of charity one offers fine flour,
and when he gives alms he presents his sacrifice of praise.

Our praise will enable us to recognize more perfectly who God is.  We will then see more clearly his great love for us.  Confident in this love we will be able to respond with nothing held back.

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

27 May 2013 - exorcising our possessions

27 May 2013 - exorcising our possessions

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

We are called to leave aside everything which is taking the place of God in our lives.  If we spend a thought on these temporal things we know they can't satisfy us.

And yet:

At that statement, his face fell, 
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

We aren't so different.  We are so attached to the things of this world and so accustomed to the habits of our lives as they are now that we can't imagine a different way.  We think that without these short term pleasures there is only the pain of a vacuum and emptiness.  If we list what these things our for us and imagine divesting ourselves of them do not our faces fall?  So we run from one frivolity to the next as the emptiness that underlies all this threatens us and presses in at the edges of our minds.

Yet Jesus promises us treasure in heaven.  How do we trade these riches which we can see for the treasure which we do not yet fully experience?

“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”

So we turn to God, knowing that he is calling us to something we can't do on our own.  If we think we are doing it on our own we need to reassess where our treasure truly is.  The treasure in heaven is something only God can give.  The same is true for the freedom from the riches of this world.  Laying down those riches looks very much like the cross to us.  But he is faithful to help those who seek him.

How great the mercy of the LORD,
his forgiveness of those who return to him!

We are beset by temptations in this world.  Even if we aren't focused on them we still experience the pleasures of this world (and that isn't necessarily wrong or sinful).  But they often tempt us to turn aside from our pilgrimage.  They try to shout down the still small voice calling us on.  But if we trust in God we have nothing to fear.  He has freedom even now for those who take shelter in him.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

26 May 2013 - nothing higher than love

26 May 2013 - nothing higher than love

"When the Lord established the heavens I was there,

Our God is not solitary.  He is relationship.  No wonder all he does to save us is done through relationship.  Love is not some lesser thing that gives way to some monolithic abstraction.  It is the heart of reality!

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,

It isn't first and foremost a matter of the things we do and don't do.  Those things are all ordered toward having the best possible relationship with Jesus.  That is why it is the Spirit within us that establishes us in relationship with Jesus and also empowers us to fulfill the law.  He is working toward the same relational end in each.

because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

He enables us to overcome all the challenges this world can throw at us.  These challenges would otherwise easily turn us aside to selfishness.  They would quickly make us put ourselves first and forget others.  But through the Spirit we persevere in love.

Similarly, the Spirit brings us truth, but not in the abstract.  He brings the revelation of the Trinity so that we might have relationship with him more and more.

But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.

It is not mere head knowledge.  It is knowledge that is a gift from our heavenly Father. It is therefore an important part of our relationship with him.   It helps us to appreciate all that Jesus is and has done and therefore brings us into more perfect relationship with him.  It is personal.  The origin of this knowledge is personal and its end is personal.

He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

It is therefore not simply the province of academics.  We must seek the truth because the one whom we follow is the way, the truth, and the life (cf. John 14:6).

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

25 May 2013 - O Sons and Daughters

25 May 2013 - O Sons and Daughters

whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”

To be like a child here means to be all in and wholehearted.  It means to hold nothing back.  It means the complete trust which a child has for a parent, knowing that nothing can truly bad can befall it under his or her watchful eye.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him,

And as a parent he is not distant from us.

His majestic glory their eyes beheld,
his glorious voice their ears heard.

He only wants us to treasure him above all else and come to him with our whole hearts.  Why do we hesitate?

Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.

24 May 2013 - friend of God

24 May 2013 - friend of God

A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy,
such as he who fears God finds;
For he who fears God behaves accordingly,
and his friend will be like himself.

Fearing God and delighting in his law are the basis for good relationships.  If we put the LORD first and trust in his Spirit we find the antidote to the selfiness toward which we are all prone.  We will find faithful friends rather than those who will abandon us if we are brought low.

But if you are brought low, he turns against you
and avoids meeting you.

And putting God first we will be better friends to others.

Let us join with the psalmist in prayer for a deeper understanding of God's ways, trusting that in them we will find the blueprint for meaningful relationships.  In them we will find our joy.

Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.

The friends we find along this path of his commands are a great blessing to us.  Following this path we will be a great blessing to those whom we befriend.  And we will both delight in one another for we both prize God's law above our own desires.

This standard applies even more to marriage.  Selfishness cannot be allowed prevail.  It is bad to be a fair weather friend but there is no place in marriage for turning aside when times are difficult.

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;

But if we are honest we find that our motives in our relationships are never completely pure.  Some selfishness always sneaks in.  Meditating on the law of the LORD can help us to recognize it.  In fact, the ability to apply the law even in the difficult and emotionally charged circumstances of our relationships is a gift from God.  That gift is discernment.

Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.

If we don't have the discernment which comes from the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12) or don't have enough we should ask Jesus for more.  He is the perfectly faithful friend.  He will not abandon us in our need even though there is nothing in it for him.

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;
he who finds one finds a treasure.
A faithful friend is beyond price,
no sum can balance his worth.

Let us rejoice, therefore, that he calls us friends (cf. John 15:15).

23 May 2013 - what are we waiting for?

23 May 2013 - what are we waiting for?

Delay not your conversion to the LORD,
put it not off from day to day.

If we are honest we find that we have plenty of excuses that keep us from turning to him.

We rely on our own strength.  We think that we only need to go to God for really big things or only for specifically spiritual things.  But when we say “I have the power” to Jesus he replies that on our own we can do nothing.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us but without him we are building on shifting sand.  It doesn't mean that we will keep the thought of him in mind at every moment.  But we will work toward that end by taking every thought captive for him (cf 2 Cor 10:5).  We will at least begin our undertakings by offering them to him and end by asking for his blessing on the work of our hands when we are finished  (cf. Psalm 90:17).

We downplay the consequences of sin.  We look at the patterns we know we need to change and downplay the consequences that those patterns have on us.  We say, “I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?”  We miss the destruction we allow because we are nearsighted.  Without reference to eternity and lasting things we gauge our actions based on short term pleasure and our comfort levels.  This is why we need to seek the things that are above (cf. Col 3:1) and remember that our citizenship is in heaven (cf Phil 3:20).

In the worst cases we start to take his mercy for granted.  We no longer cooperate with his grace in us to change.  Instead we become content to sin boldly and yet recklessly assume forgiveness.  We say, “Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.”  But we do not say this after having fallen or in a spirit of contrition.  We say it as we go off to commit sins which we convince ourselves we cannot resist.

But if we do not delay and covert we are blessed indeed.

He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.

Even the devout among us underestimate how serious sin is.  The words of Jesus are sobering.

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed 

The saints are repulsed even by venial sins in a way that is at best challenging for us.  Yet in their commitment to his ways they open themselves more than all others to the joy the LORD longs to give.

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Unlike those to whom the law is a burden the saints find there joy therein.

But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.

22 May 2013 - wise beyond our years

22 May 2013 - wise beyond our years

If one trusts her, he will possess her;
his descendants too will inherit her.

Wisdom is a gift to us before it is something at which we have to work.  But, like the parable of the talents, we must be good stewards of the gift to mature in it.

She walks with him as a stranger
and at first she puts him to the test;
Fear and dread she brings upon him
and tries him with her discipline
until she try him by her laws and trust his soul.

Wisdom is something that can't be separated from God's law.  It isn't simply prudence or discernment or cleverness.  The law of the LORD outlines the strategy for optimal human thriving and happiness.  Most people often think of law as burdensome and arbitrary.  We ourselves often see it this way if we are honest.  But the law exists to keep us from needless suffering.  It exists to teach us how to live a truly fulfilled existence.

Those who love your law have great peace,
and for them there is no stumbling block.

The law protects us from letting selfishness sabotage our choices.

“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”

It is an understandable mistake.  They have a legitimate concern insofar as they want to make sure that people don't co-opt the name of Jesus for their own purposes.  But they fail by insisting that the people driving out demons follow them specifically rather than Jesus.  They undervalue that great triumph of driving out demons.  They should rather simply insist that they follow Jesus.

Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.

Wisdom clears the way for us to put all of our trust in Jesus.  She keeps us from the snares that turn us aside from his path.  Because true happiness can only be found in him let us pray for the wisdom to put him before all else.

Then she comes back to bring him happiness
and reveal her secrets to them
and she will heap upon him 
treasures of knowledge and an understanding of justice.

21 May 2013 - be prepared

21 May 2013 - be prepared

My son, when you come to serve the LORD,
stand in justice and fear,
prepare yourself for trials.

Doesn't the LORD promise to give us rest if we come to him?  But here he warns us about preparing for trials.  Aren't these contradictory promises?

Be sincere of heart and steadfast,
incline your ear and receive the word of understanding,
undisturbed in time of adversity.

The LORD doesn't ultimately give us rest through circumstances.  He doesn't necessarily tweak individual details of our lives until we are comfortable and have exactly what we want.  If we want the rest that the LORD gives we can't hold anything back.  We have all experienced that when we keep control over our lives we still face times of adversity in spite of our best efforts.  But when the LORD is in control we can face such times without being disturbed.

If we try to keep control over our lives we are ultimately like the disciples who "had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. "  We'll be interested in what we can get out of discipleship.  We will never have happiness because we will always be defining that as something other than God himself.  And that definition is wrong.

Has anyone persevered in his commandments and been forsaken? 
has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed?

Certainly it seems that way at times, but it is because are holding on to our own definitions.  The blessedness of the just is the LORD himself.  And he gives himself without measure to those who seek him.

The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.

We need to be completely available to his plans for us.  In accepting them we find that we receive the LORD himself.


“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”

20 May 2013 - getting re-situated

20 May 2013 - getting re-situated

“‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

He has some faith.  He is able to ask Jesus for help, but without confidence.  He knows there is a possibility of healing.  But he still has a hard time believing it.  This demon has afflicted has son for so long.  It really just seems like it will never change.  Faith in a healing like this is much harder after having lived with the suffering for so long.

That is why Jesus says, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”  The prayer is not only to cast out the demon but to allow growth in faith for those who are trying to help.  It allows for a growth in relationship with God and confidence in his power and good will.  It is the only thing that can keep our broken pasts from setting precedents that dictate our futures.

We need more than the bravado of new disciples charging in to cast our such spirits.  We need wisdom to see the deeper truth of such situations

Before all things else wisdom was created;
and prudent understanding, from eternity.

With wisdom will we recognize when situations will only get better through prayer.  We often rush to act without preparing the way through prayer.  Sometimes we can still be somewhat effective but there are situations which only get better through prayer.  We need wisdom to recognize these. Since none of us are as wise as we ought to be we should seek wisdom from the only one who has it in fullness.

There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring,
seated upon his throne:
There is but one, Most High 

And we should seek confidently because "he has lavished her upon his friends" and he calls us friends (cf. John 15:15).

Wisdom and prayer will open our eyes to more perfectly behold God.  See him more as he is we will be able to approach him in great confidence.

The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength. 

19 May 2013 - fire fall

19 May 2013 - fire fall

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Renew us, LORD.  You want us to be filled with your Spirit but we are lukewarm and indifferent.  We feel powerless and trapped by circumstances.

If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.

Yet you alway offer renewal in your Spirit.  You are always ready to recharge us and full us with new life.  There is no symmetry with what we were in the past.  We are reborn as something entirely new.  We are a new creation that is finally what the old one was intended to be.  In the old order self seeking and survival of the fittest have come dominant through sin.  The new order, which exists in the midst of the old without being of it, is based only on love

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

As new creations we are filled with the gifts that Isaiah lists:

• wisdom
• understanding
• counsel
• fortitude
• knowledge
• piety
• fear of the LORD

And the fruits that Paul lists:

• love
• joy
• peace
• forbearance
• kindness
• goodness
• faithful
• gentleness
• self-control

And even the charismatic gifts that Paul desires for us (cf 1 Cor 14:5):

• words of wisdom
• words of knowledge
• prophecy
• tongues
• interpretation of tongues
• healing
• mighty deeds
• faith
• discernment of spirits

Clearly we are very different without all of these than we are with them.  It is no stretch to say we are a new creation!  And as a new creation we are united as one in a unity that is strictly impossible in the old. By one Spirit we proclaim the truth of the Good News.

No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

By one Spirit we are united as one family under our Father in heaven.

but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”

Let us seek the fire of the Holy Spirit trusting that he is refining us and building us into his temple.

Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.

As he fills us let us join the disciples in proclaiming "the mighty acts of God" to all the nations.  These acts aren't simply directed toward gifts for gifts sake.  The gifts are a function of unity with God himself.  They are the fruit of the indwelling Trinity.  And this is the desire he has for each of us.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

The one thing that can stop us is sin which cuts us off from this indwelling.  But Jesus has prepared for this as well.  The solution?  The Holy Spirit working in priests God calls.

Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

So, since nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ, let us join with the psalmist in praising  him!

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;

Bryan Torwalt and Katie Torwalt - Holy Spirit

18 May 2013 - chain of command

18 May 2013 - chain of command

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.

Paul is impressive is his ability to keep his focus on what matters in spite of his circumstances.  Part of his secret is that he doesn't regard religion as something merely subjective.  For him it isn't just like trying to get someone else to enjoy a movie he enjoys.  He knows that the meaning of the Good News is something historical and concrete.

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.” 

If it had been merely subjective hope it would be quickly overwhelmed by other subjective experiences.  Suffering in prison would be difficult to resist on the basis of the memory of a feeling.  But Paul knows that history has been forever changed.  He knows that all peoples of the world stand to gain or lose hugely by this change.  And it is for this reason that he has such assurance when he proclaims the Kingdom of God.

We often begrudge others their subjective experiences.  We are jealous of people who simply see miraculous things.  We envy the zeal of those who have it more easily than ourselves.  Jesus warns us against comparisons.

Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours? 

What we share in common with all his followers is much more important.

and we know that his testimony is true.

It is this testimony that transforms and gives life.  It is not mere feelings which may come and go.  It is something even more real than a feeling, not less!  It is the revelation of just who God is and the promise that we can come to an even greater knowledge of him.

For the LORD is just, he loves just deeds;
the upright shall see his face.

As Pentecost draws near let us seek his face.  He wants to empower us to change the world with concrete and verifiable power from on high.  Let us lay aside our comparisons and feelings and instead:

You follow me.”

Sanctus Real - The Face of Love

17 March 2013 - feeding our confidence

17 March 2013 - feeding our confidence

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.”

Jesus asks Peter to confirm his love three times.  Peter is so distressed because he has given Jesus every reason to disbelieve him by denying him.  On his own Peter might never trust himself again after that failure.  But Jesus gives him a tangible way to express his love for him.

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

We ourselves give Jesus reasons to doubt our love for him.  We often don't love as we should.  But instead of dwelling on our failures Jesus calls us to affirm our love for him here and now.  He shows us that this isn't a subjective state.  It isn't feelings which we have to spend time figuring out if we have or don't have.  It manifests in concrete action.  When we feed the poor we feed him.  When we persecute his people we persecute him.  

He wants us to walk in the freedom that comes from his love.  He does not want us to be bound to our past.  Penance isn't about dwelling and suffering in guilt.  It is necessary to put to rest the consequences of our sins.  But it is about loving Jesus now.  It is about a concrete answer to his question, "Do you love me?"

As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he put our transgressions from us.

He will not leave us under the power of sin.  Neither past wrongs nor future temptations can match his power.  He doesn't want us to be trapped and powerless.  He wants to clothe us with power from on high so that we can be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.  

He wants to give us the laser focus that Paul has about the truth of the gospel.  He wants us to know that Jesus lives even right now in this very moment.

Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion

and about a certain Jesus who had died

but who Paul claimed was alive.

He even wants to give us the courage and confidence to follow him even unto death just as Peter does.

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.”

The LORD's throne is eternal but the psalm says it is established.  His eternal throne established through the victory of the resurrection and through that power at work in believers by the Holy Spirit.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven.

and his kingdom rules over all.

Bob Dufford - Like a Shepherd

16 May 2013 - a more perfect union

16 May 2013 - a more perfect union

“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,

How important is the unity of which Jesus speaks?  Isn't unity just fru-fru feel good hand holding with no great significance?  If unity is just sentimentality then it is natural to think so.  But unity has roots that go much deeper.

as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,

Unity is the mystery and power of the Trinity at work in the world.  Perhaps we have not yet known this unity but only its cheap substitute: sentimentality.  We need to prize the unity that comes from the Father highly.  A lot is riding on it:

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.

Clearly such unity is not that result of our human efforts.  It is supernaturally caused by the prayer of Jesus.  Only such power can have results like these.

We are united as one that we can be brought to perfection together.  It is the opposite of the Sadducees and Pharisees in the first reading.  Their disunity sets them against each other and keeps the possibility of being perfected by God in the distance.

When we are being brought to perfection as one it is something so supernatural that the world can see it.  On our own we tend to have the opposite effect on one another.  When we rise out of the self serving patterns of the world and act in selflessness and love the rest of the world can't help be take note.

It is such a powerful testimony that is not only proves something ambiguously supernatural is happening with regard to unity but rather it proves the supernatural love of God the Father for us.

The love with which the Father loves the Son is the Holy Spirit.  Only the Holy Spirit has the power to unite us in a way that is convincing beyond mere sentimentality.  It is evident in the early Church of Acts in which we see the disciples holding all things in common.  There is no thought among them of some individual and private path to salvation that modern Americans might prefer.  They don't neglect to meet together on the LORD's day and encourage one another leading up to that day (cf. Heb 10:25). They devote themselves to the apostles' teaching, to prayer, fellowship, and the breaking of the bread (cf Acts 2:42).

When we go to great lengths to ensure that people feel welcome in our Churches it is a good impulse.  But the liability of such an impulse is for it to become a merely human effort and therefore sentimentality.  But human effort cannot bridge the great differences between us.  Jesus can do so, however, and his prayer assures us that he is ready and willing.

When the world sees us united in pursuing one goal above all its pleasures it will have to take notice.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot. 

The early Church is united in pursuing this.  Let us learn from them.  Let us seek to be filled with the Spirit and so give witness that the Son is sent by the Father and that they love us all immensely.

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

Jars of Clay - They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love

15 May 2013 - consecrated in truth

15 May 2013 - consecrated in truth

“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.

Paul is concerned that the unity of the Church be preserved.  He knows the price Jesus paid to give us this truth.  He knows well the threats that face us.  The world hates the truth and doesn't want to hear it.  It is wants to suppress it so it isn't called to change its ways.  

And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.

There are elements both within ourselves and within the world that try to take the hard won truth of the cross and resurrection from us.  Jesus knows what we face and so he himself prays that we will remain in unity after he ascends to the Father.  The only basis we have for this unity is the truth he brings.

"Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.

His truth reminds us that we no longer belong to this dying world just as he himself doesn't belong to the world.  This is the truth that has the power to set us free.  There is more than the world of selfishness, striving, and pain.  There is a lasting kingdom where love has the final say.

They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.

If we are still in the world we need to seek freedom in Jesus.  He conquers the world and wants to make that victory manifest in us.  This freedom and victory has its source in the sure knowledge of his truth.

Consecrate them in the truth. 
Your word is truth.

He himself is the word of truth from the Father.  He consecrates himself for us!  It does not necessarily change our circumstances.  But it empowers us to be victorious in spite of our circumstances.  We will no longer be dominated by them just as Jesus endures the cross but ultimately wins the victory.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.

Jesus has won the victory over the world.  He consecrates his Church with his truth.  Let us remain in the heart of the Church so that we can receive all the protection it affords.  The power that now protects us is the same power that raised Jesus from death.

Show forth, O God, your power,
the power, O God, with which you took our part;

Let us sing his praises forevermore.

Paul Wilbur - Let Your Fire Fall

"Come and show your power as in days of old"

14 March 2013 - the remain thing

14 March 2013 - the remain thing

Remain in my love.

Jesus is speaking to us.  He first reminds us to remain in his love.  The commandments are our guide in doing this.  From the place of his love we are empowered to love one another.  We can only love to the degree that we ourselves are first transformed by the love of Jesus

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.

It isn't about our plans.  It is about the plan he has for us.  It isn't complicated.  We bear fruit by loving one another as he loves us.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,

The fruit remains because it has its source in the power of his resurrection.  Decay and death have no power over it.  This is why when the apostles replace Judas Iscariot they want someone who will "become with us a witness to his resurrection.”  

We are all called to be witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, both to the historical event, and to its power in our lives, until the whole world knows.

From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.


None of this is to be a burden.  It starts in the love Jesus has for us and that is its ultimate purpose and end as well.

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

and your joy might be complete.

13 May 2013 - victorious

13 May 2013 - victorious

In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

On our own in the world we are constantly at risk of being scattered and of leaving Jesus alone.  He tells us to take courage, but why?  He does not say take courage because we'll be able to conquer the world when it fights against us.  In the world we have trouble.  Only Jesus is able to conquer the world.  Why does this give us courage?  Because he shares his victory with us.

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

Unlike the disciples at Ephesus most of us answer yes to this question.  Yet many of us aren't far from saying what they do:

“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

We modify it to say 'we have never heard that there is a Holy Spirit who works in us and transforms our lives day to day in a powerful and visible way.'

The disciples at Ephesus end up experiencing the Holy Spirit in an experiential way that is much greater than the expectations of most of us. 

And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

If we have not experienced this power we can rest assured that Jesus wants us to know his victory by his Holy Spirit as much as he wants anyone else to know it.  No two experience him in the same way.  But that should not limit our expectations of what his power can do in us.

God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.

If we don't feel like we are living in his victory we can be sure that he wants to do more in us by the power of his Spirit.

Jesus tells us that he knows in advance that we will often rely on our own efforts to face the troubles of the world.  He knows we will therefore be scattered and sometimes forsake him.  But he loves us so much that he tells us in advance that such failures on our part will not deter his love for us.

I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.

Let us therefore rejoice in him.

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. 

Peter Furler - Greater is He

12 May 2013 - rising higher

12 May 2013 - rising higher

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

The Acension reveals the victory of Jesus.  He brings our human nature with him to the throne room of heaven.  By his union with the Father we are united with the Father.  The resurrection does not lead to mere human life.  It leads to a union of love with the Triune God.

And yet all to often we don't experience this union.  Even the disciples who witness the Ascension don't immediately experience it.

why are you standing there looking at the sky?

The apostles are distracted and afraid.  How do they move beyond this?  They cling to the words of Jesus.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,

The Holy Spirit is how we are to experience the power of the resurrection.  He is how we experience the union between the Father and the Son in heaven.  We don't fully share in that union in this life but there is almost limitless potential for how much we can experience it.  Just as the love between the Father and the Son now has a human component because of the human nature of Jesus so too does our love have a divine component to the degree that we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

The hope that belongs to our call is more than we can dream.

what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,

That sounds good but how about those of us who don't experience it so intensely?  That's well and good for saints.  What about us normal Christians?

Paul shows us that we are have the same call, no less than the greatest of saints.  He prays that we will realize it.

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,

So let us not sell short the words of Jesus as he tells us to await the coming of his Spirit.

And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”

We have received him in baptism and confirmation but there is always more he wants to do in us.  Let us be open to everything he wants to give.  May our hearts be filled with his praise.

Sing praise to God, sing praise; 
sing praise to our king, sing praise.

Let Your Fire Fall

11 May 2013 - right as reign

11 May 2013 - right as reign

For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me

We are loved by the Father, God of the universe, because we love Jesus.  Does it mean that the Father's love is conditional?  No.  Instead, loving Jesus means to choose to receive the love of the Father.  The Father loves us because we let him love us in Jesus Christ.  We need to learn to see the Father's love for us in the face of Jesus.

and have come to believe that I came from God.

Knowing that Jesus reveals the love of the Father for us will give us great confidence in that love.  We have seen it tested by the cross and grave.  It has been victorious!  Love that will go that far will hold back no good thing from us (cf Luk 11:13).

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

And so with the psalmist we rejoice.

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

This is the God who is revealed in Jesus.  He is the king of all the earth and yet he is revealed to be love itself.  We must not hesitate to proclaim him.

establishing from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.

Even if we get a little carried away as long as our hearts are in the right place the LORD will use us and continue to correct us and guide us on the way.

they took him aside
and explained to him the Way of God more accurately.

We don't have to be perfect about it.  We just have to be sincere and willing to let the LORD use us.  If we do so he will take care of the rest and use us for his glory.

After his arrival he gave great assistance
to those who had come to believe through grace.

Newsboys - He Reigns

10 March 2013 - be thou my vision

10 March 2013 - be thou my vision

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

This is the plan Jesus has for us.  But is our joy still fleeting?  Can it still be taken from us by the circumstances of the world?  Of course it can.  We know this all too well.  The reason is that we do not yet fully see him.  We need to fix our gaze on him amid the waves of this world.  The source of our joy is that Jesus is risen.  We need to fix our eyes on this and no one will be able to take our joy from us because our joy will be based on the most unshakable and permanent of truths: the resurrection.

Paul is able to be so steadfast in his mission because he keeps the resurrected LORD before him.

One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”

Not that Paul is afraid of beatings.  But he is able to choose this path where he will be able to speak the Good News without hinderance because of the vision he has.  And at other times when he does go to prison or when he is beaten he is able to have joy there too because with the LORD always before his eyes he knows that even these difficult circumstances are being used to reveal God's glory.

All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth. 

The LORD is the king of the earth whether our circumstances are good or whether they seem bad.  The only way to hold on to this truth is to keep the vision of the risen LORD before our eyes.  Then not even death will shake us because the victory has been won.

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.

Be Thou My Vision

9 May 2013 - grief to joy

9 May 2013 - grief to joy

Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

The world rejoices when it perceives what it thinks is the failure of Christianity.  It rejoices when it sees Jesus on the cross and when it sees individual Christians suffering.  The world sees this and feels confirmed in pursuing the passing pleasures which it affords.  It sees this and feels let off the hook from any real change.  But the world needs to see the cross in the context of the resurrection.  It needs to see beyond itself to lasting hope.  We need to see beyond our own suffering to eternity.

Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word,
testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

The world hears and tries to cling to its old ways and ideas.

they opposed him and reviled him

We ourselves often oppose and revile the idea that because of Jesus suffering can now lead to resurrection and glory.  We are invested in the passing things of the world just as they are.  It is no surprise that the world has trouble with the Good News.  But there is hope for us and for them.

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him

He knows how difficult it is for us to accept.  He knows the questions we have.  The disciples discuss these questions with one another but the answers ultimately have to come from God's revelation.  The world seeks answers within itself that can only come from God.  But he is patient with us even when we don't go to him first for the answer.  His heart is still to reveal himself and make known the Good News.

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

He does not simply reveal power.  He reveals saving power.  This is power which has its source in love.  And he continues revealing himself until all nations come to know his saving power and join together in his praise.

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.

All the Ends of the Earth by Bob Dufford.

8 May 2013 - guided, not teleported

8 May 2013 - guided, not teleported

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

It is encouraging to know that the LORD is willing to work with our limitations.

But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.

It is good to realize that we don't necessarily grasp everything completely all at once.  Instead we are guided into that understanding by the Spirit just as a guide might show someone around a vast new city.

Paul is also aware of this.  He knows that the Athenians are somewhere in that process.  Hence he is willing to build upon what truth the Athenians already have.

What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.

They already know something true and valuable because the LORD makes all things and all things point back to him.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The creation itself is ordered to communicate and reveal God to us because his underlying purpose in it all is relationship.

so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,

But it can't stop there.  He wants a greater relationship than nature alone can facilitate.  We see even in nature the brokenness which he longs to mend.  He has a plan for all people which isn't obvious just from the creation.

because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.”

The people who hear this are at different points on their journeys and respond in different ways.

When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”

But some do join Paul.  Perhaps in others a seed is planted.  But in all cases we can be confident that the LORD will continue to reveal himself as we are able to bear it.  This is not an excuse for us to be silent about the Good News just as it is not for Paul.  Even if we have people scoff at us the LORD can use what we say to plant seeds and draw people to himself.  Such people seem distant from the LORD but even they are not far from his saving help.

though indeed he is not far from any one of us.

He is the source of their being and ours so we can trust in the LORD and not in our own meager efforts.

 ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’

Let us share the desire of the psalmist that all peoples be united in the praise of God.

Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.

7 May 2013 - off the chain

7 May 2013 - off the chain

But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.

We do not readily believe that it is better for us that he goes.  But because he does a relationship with him is no longer restricted by the limitations of time and place.  We are not left with a mere memory.  The very works that Jesus does and ones even greater than these are done by those filled with his Spirit (cf. John 14:12).  Jesus is, if anything, more present with his people than ever.  This is the presence that can break down barriers to the freedom he intends for us.

About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. 

And even more impressively this is the presence that inspires the trust necessary to stay in a situation from which we've been freed for the sake of our fellow prisoners just as Paul and Silas do.

“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”

Even in prison the Spirit keeps them connected to the life of heaven and thereby transforms what is an otherwise difficult circumstance.

in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;

They must be listening to the LORD very carefully.  Deliverance from their chains comes, is obviously supernatural, and yet they are remain in the prison, knowing that the LORD has more for them to do in this place.  The natural thing to do is probably to run without thought for the jailers.  We probably think we are just respecting the favor God shows us by immediately responding to it.  But he does not open these doors just for us!  We are not necessarily called to run from the world to our Christian ghettos.  We are called to be in the world be not of it.  It is our trust which empowers us to do this.  We know that God who started this good work in us will bring it to completion (cf. Phi 1:6).

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

And this trust can make a big impression on those that see it.

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Our answer needn't be complex theology.

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved.”

He is looking for people to be his adopted children more so than scholars and theologians.  The LORD will not allow anything to stand in the way of his promise.  Nothing, that is, except our free will.  But when the Spirit is with us we won't find anything too difficult for his power.

Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.

Here is a good song about singing his praises in the presence of the angels in heaven.

6 May 2013 - falling down or speaking up

6 May 2013 - falling down or speaking up

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away.

This means that if we have not been told we are in real danger of falling away.

They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.

We face suffering and persecution.  If it isn't on the large scale of actual martyrdom it is still the small scale of the social stigma that comes from holding fast to the truth and the discomfort that comes from speaking up for him.  And not sticking to our guns and falling silent when we should be speaking gradually take us away from our LORD.  How do we prevent this?  We must hear the words which Jesus speaks.

When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,

It is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of all Jesus teaches it.  It is he who gives us the words we need we we have to testify.  Let us be reassured that he will be so present in these situations that Scripture above tells us that he himself will testify.  This transforms mere words to "demonstrations of the Spirit and power" (cf 1 Cor 2:4).  It is this presence of the Holy Spirit in St. Stephen which enables him to boldly and joyfully face martyrdom (cf. Acts 6-7).  It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in us which enables us to hold fast to the kingdom in our own lives and social situations.  If even martyrs can joyfully face their fates by the aid of the Holy Spirit surely we too can be courageous and joyful for Jesus.  Maybe not all with Paul are outgoing and extroverted.  Yet they are able to joyfully to enter what may be an awkward social situation and meet strangers for the sake of the kingdom.

On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river
where we thought there would be a place of prayer.

Our common sense may tell us that there is a "place of prayer" where people will be open to the Good News.  Yet when we consider a situation like that we tend to think of everything that can go wrong.  But Paul and his companions don't have to fear because they know that opening the heart is the job of the Spirit.  All they have to do is open their mouths and speak.

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

The songs of our lives without Jesus are broken and halting.  Many grow tired of these old songs and long for something more.  He gives us a new song to sing by pouring out his Spirit upon us.  He wants this song to rise up from the whole world without ceasing.

Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Pentecost is quickly approaching.  Come Holy Spirit!

5 May 2013 - teaching peace

5 May 2013 - teaching peace

May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.

The reveals his way to us.  This is a huge blessing and not a burden.  He is love itself.  When the face of love shines upon us it teaches us the way of love just as a good parent does.  The way of love shows other ways to be lacking but it does not show this for the sake of condemnation.  It is revealed so that everyone might know the salvation it entails.

The LORD leaves the Holy Spirit for the Church to ensure that we remember everything Jesus teaches us, all of which is fundamentally about love.

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.

The Spirit acts within the structure of the Church to keep us in the truth.

‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us

This keeps us from being shaken and upset by false teachings.

Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,

He thereby protect the peace which comes from Jesus and the truth he teaches us.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

The truth he teaches points to something beyond worldly happiness which is a transient ebb and flow.  He is able to offer us peace because he has something unfading and permanent to give us.

I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.

It is a beautiful city which moth and rust will not destroy.  It can never be shaken.

May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!

4 May 2013 - per mission basis

4 May 2013 - per mission basis

Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith
and increased in number.

Why were the churches growing stronger?  It was because of the mission that Paul was on.

As they traveled from city to city,
they handed on to the people for observance the decisions
reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.

He is helping them stay connected to the universal Church.  In that connection they are able to grow stronger and increase in number.

That said, it isn't a simple or formulaic mission.  It is effective because he is attentive to the Holy Spirit.  He doesn't go places when the Spirit doesn't permit.

but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,

And when the Spirit calls he is quick to respond.

we sought passage to Macedonia at once, 
concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

Jesus knows who is longing for him and who is ready to receive his Good News.

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

If we are attentive to him we will find people ready to hear.  Most of the world will see this Good News as an imposition which limits its freedom.  The Good News calls us out from the passions which enslave us.  But these are the passions on which the whole system of life in the world is built.  That is why the world can't be open to the good news.

If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;

But mankind is made for more than this.

and I have chosen you out of the world,

We must listen to the Spirit so that if Jesus wants us to help call people out of the world and to reveal all that he has in store for them we will be ready.

There is not a single person whom he doesn't love.  He calls out to the whole world.  He makes us all and desires only that we come to know the perfect joy which is in him alone.

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

3 May 2013 - absent minded confessors

3 May 2013 - absent minded confessors

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time

and you still do not know me, Philip?

Perhaps he asks to make Philip aware of his own weakness.  Jesus is always revealing himself.  But Philip does not always take advantage of it.  Neither do we.  When Philip tries to rely on his own abilities to understand that doesn't work either.  Only when he surrenders to Jesus's self-revelation does he begin to understand.  This is what faith means. But even then there is the danger that even that faith can be taken from him by the enemy if he doesn't rely on God to keep it alive in his heart.  

So much of what we need to hear as Christians is a reminder.  This challenges our humility.  In our pride we want to already know especially if we have already been told.  But we are finite and so God keeps his revelation alive in us by reminding us of it and drawing us deeper into it.

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,

of the Gospel I preached to you,

which you indeed received and in which you also stand.

We would prefer novelty.  But the things we need to know are actually reminders.  That said, there is often more depth in the things of which we are being reminded than we understand at first.  This is why Jesus can teach that if we know him "then you will also know my Father" and yet Philip is so quick to respond as if he didn't hear Jesus at all.

Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.

But Jesus is patient.  He is willing to restate what he has already told Philip.  And in doing so he sheds new light on it for Philip.

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

Jesus first mentions that knowing him means knowing the Father.  He explains now that it also means that seeing Jesus, in a spiritual sense, means seeing the Father.  Maybe for this to really sink in Philip needs to grow in faith.  Fortunately Jesus is a patient teacher.

The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

The heavens are tireless in declaring God's glory.  His glory is not new but there is always more of it to experience.  

They proclaim the one who is true.  They show forth the one his is light.  He himself is the way to the Father in whom our deepest desires are fulfilled and all our tears are wiped away.

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life."

Let us never falter frm this way.

2 May 2013 - remain

2 May 2013 - remain

Remain in my love.

This statement is a little challenging.  It sounds as if there is a possibility of stepping completely outside of his love.  What help would there be for us if we did that?  But that isn't what he means here, exactly.  He loves us and dies for us while we are still sinners (cf. Rom 5:8).  He loves us always and there is nothing we can do about it.  So what does it mean to remain in his love?

First, let us hear the word again.  Remain.  His love is the starting point from which we can continue with him or run from him.  He allows the effectiveness of his love in us to be limited or blocked by our own free will.  We have to choose to accept his love.  We do this by obedience.

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.

Note that Jesus doesn't complain about the necessity of obedience to the Father.  He doesn't say "I am God from God, and coequal so I need not obey."  He knows that commandments, while firm, aren't burdensome.  They are life giving.  We  ourselves often fall prey to self deception and the commandments protect us.  They hold up the standard of love so that we may not settle for less.    Jesus actually takes joy in obedience to the Father.  It is how he shows his love for him.  And he wants us to know this joy as well.

“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”

This love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit.  So we have no power to share that love without sharing in the Holy Spirit.  But let us remember again the word remain.  He initiates.  We respond.   The transforming power of the Holy Spirit is actually so amazing that it is literally a visible witness to others who see it in us.

And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.

If we haven't experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in that way or even if it has been a while since we have we need just ask (cf. Luk 11:13). The Father and the Son delight to pour the Spirit upon us.  They want us to join with the psalmist in singing:

Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.

And in doing so our very lives become witnesses to the whole world.

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.