Religion vs. Faith

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
A Living Hope

Psalm 31:9-18

The Message

^6-13 I hate all this silly religion,
    but you, God, I trust.
I’m leaping and singing in the circle of your love;
    you saw my pain,
    you disarmed my tormentors,
You didn’t leave me in their clutches
    but gave me room to breathe.
Be kind to me, God—
    I’m in deep, deep trouble again.
I’ve cried my eyes out;
    I feel hollow inside.
My life leaks away, groan by groan;
    my years fade out in sighs.
My troubles have worn me out,
    turned my bones to powder.
To my enemies I’m a monster;
    I’m ridiculed by the neighbors.
My friends are horrified;
    they cross the street to avoid me.
They want to blot me from memory,
    forget me like a corpse in a grave,
    discard me like a broken dish in the trash.
The street-talk gossip has me
    “criminally insane”!
Behind locked doors they plot
    how to ruin me for good.

 

Reflection I place my trust in God.  I am sure of His grace and compassion.  That is my faith.  God is not organized religion.  Unlike God, Christian religion has changed over time.  Although it contains universal core elements, Christianity does not seem to be an unchanging static system.  I suppose religion is, as we are, poor impressions of Godly practice.

Many observe that the apparent loss of spiritualism in our modern cultures is in reality the morphing of one form of worship and practice into another.  Perhaps so, but when again in trouble I will turn to God.  The message of forgiveness, compassion, and justice will still be at the core of the worship of God and the practice of His way.

Pray

I place my trust in God.  I am sure of his grace and compassion.  That is my faith.  God is not our organized religion.  Unlike God, our religions have changed over time.  Although it contains all of the core elements, Christianity does not seem to be an unchangeable static system.  I suppose religion is, as we are, poor impressions of God.

Many observe that the apparent loss of spiritualism is in reality the morphing of one form of worship and practice into another.  Perhaps so, but the message of forgiveness, compassion, and justice will still be at the core of the worship of God and the practice of His way.

that though all of life's troubles, you will remain steadfast in your confidence and hope in God's promise.  Pray that you will, in lament, turn to God , not to blame but, rather, to be encouraged, fortified, and liberated

I Have No Help in Me

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
A Living Hope

Job 6:8-13

The Message

Pressed Past the Limits

^8-13 “All I want is an answer to one prayer,
    a last request to be honored:
Let God step on me—squash me like a bug,
    and be done with me for good.
I’d at least have the satisfaction
    of not having blasphemed the Holy God,
    before being pressed past the limits.
Where’s the strength to keep my hopes up?
    What future do I have to keep me going?
Do you think I have nerves of steel?
    Do you think I’m made of iron?
Do you think I can pull myself up by my bootstraps?
    Why, I don’t even have any boots! 

For Reflection

It's OK to be angry, even with God.  God understands and knows who you are.  How often have you thought or even expressed your anger with God?  At times when you feel most hopeless, remember Gods promise, have patience and hope for God's saving grace. 

Pray

for strength in the face of troubled times.  Pray to keep hope in God's promise of grace.  Pray for God's help.  Pray for patience.  Pray in silence and listen for God's reply.

Kept Sound and Blameless

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Hope Comes from God's Grace

1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

The Message

^23-24 May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!
^25-27 Friends, keep up your prayers for us. Greet all the followers of Jesus there with a holy embrace. And make sure this letter gets read to all the brothers and sisters. Don’t leave anyone out.
²⁸ The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you! 

For Reflection

Are you fit for the coming of the Master?  I did not say, "are you perfect? "  No one is perfect.  Our reconciliation to God is perfect.  Our transformation in Jesus Christ is a work in progress.  We are saved from perfection by the unearned Grace of God. 

Pray

in gratitude for the gift of Jesus Christ. Pray that you will have the courage to follow in the way of Christ in obedience to God's call to His kingdom. Pray prayers of thanksgiving for the person God has made you and for the person that you are still becoming.  Pray for all Christians who follow the Way.  Pray for all people so they might find the Way.

The Hope of Eternal Life

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Hope Comes from God's Grace

Titus 3:1-8

The Message

He Put Our Lives Together

3 ^1-2 Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God’s people should be bighearted and courteous.

^3-8 It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this. 

For Reflection

Is this all there is?  I hope not.  

For a Christian the preceding phrase is not an empty one which indicates expectations of nothing.  Life after death is hoped for with a hope that is actively seeking the obedient way.  It is a hope so filled with confidence that eternal life is taken for granted.  Little is known about life after death, but to a Christian, eternal life is lived in the presence of God.

Pray

that you will embrace all opportunities for working toward good.   Pray that you will never shirk your indebtedness to God.  Pray that you will follow God's call to work toward peace and justice in our time so that the Kingdom may be realized in God's time.

My Help Comes from the Lord

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Hope Comes from God's Grace

A Pilgrim Song

121 ^1-2 I look up to the mountains;
    does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
    who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

^3-4 He won’t let you stumble,
    your Guardian God won’t fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel’s
    Guardian will never doze or sleep.

^5-6 God’s your Guardian,
    right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
    sheltering you from moonstroke.

^7-8 God guards you from every evil,
    he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
    he guards you now, he guards you always.

For Reflection

The only thing that holds us back from fulfilling God's intention for us is fear.  Is it the fear that one feels when he or she acts against the common cultural ways?  Is it the fear of separation from family, friends, or even mere acquaintances?  Is it the fear of the unknown?  Is it the fear that one will fail and fall from the grace of God?

God is your guardian.  If others reticule your counter culture ways, God, Christ and the Holy Spirit will comfort you.  If you are separated from family, friends or acquaintances, God will always be beside you.  God's grace never ends for those who act in obedience to His call. He guards you.

Pray

that the promise of God's unending support will sustain you.  Pray for conviction so strong that it wipes away fear.   Pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the gift of service to God.

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Hope Comes from God's Grace

Psalm 38:9-16

The Message (MSG)

^9-16 Lord, my longings are sitting in plain sight,
    my groans an old story to you.
My heart’s about to break;
    I’m a burned-out case.
Cataracts blind me to God and good;
    old friends avoid me like the plague.
My cousins never visit,
    my neighbors stab me in the back.
My competitors blacken my name,
    devoutly they pray for my ruin.
But I’m deaf and mute to it all,
    ears shut, mouth shut.
I don’t hear a word they say,
    don’t speak a word in response.
What I do, God, is wait for you,
    wait for my Lord, my God—you will answer!
I wait and pray so they won’t laugh me off,
    won’t smugly strut off when I stumble. 

For Reflection

Others talk, but you need not listen!  Others taunt, but you need not react!  Others pray against you, but you need not heed their prayers!  Others bare false witness against you, but you need not defend!   Others deceive you, but you need not be fooled!

You wait on the Lord.  You respond to God's whispers.  God strengthens your heart.  You approach your life anchored in God's desire for your well-being. You answer not to others, you answer only to God.  You approach life in obedience to God, with humility strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and in Christian hospitality.  Others stumble through life, you are incapable of stumbling.

Pray

for courage to face life as one of God's children.  Pray for strength of heart.   Pray to keep your ear tuned to God's whispers.  Pray for the humility which can come only from walking in the light of God's grace.

An Appointed Time

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Hope Comes from God's Grace

Isaiah 59:9-19

The Message

^9-11 Which means that we’re a far cry from fair dealing,
    and we’re not even close to right living.
We long for light but sink into darkness,
    long for brightness but stumble through the night.
Like the blind, we inch along a wall,
    groping eyeless in the dark.
We shuffle our way in broad daylight,
    like the dead, but somehow walking.
We’re no better off than bears, groaning,
    and no worse off than doves, moaning.
We look for justice—not a sign of it;
    for salvation—not so much as a hint.

^12-15 Our wrongdoings pile up before you, God,
    our sins stand up and accuse us.
Our wrongdoings stare us down;
    we know in detail what we’ve done:
Mocking and denying God,
    not following our God,
Spreading false rumors, inciting sedition,
    pregnant with lies, muttering malice.
Justice is beaten back,
    Righteousness is banished to the sidelines,
Truth staggers down the street,
    Honesty is nowhere to be found,
Good is missing in action.
    Anyone renouncing evil is beaten and robbed.

^15-19 God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon—
    so much evil and no sign of Justice.
He couldn’t believe what he saw:
    not a soul around to correct this awful situation.
So he did it himself, took on the work of Salvation,
    fueled by his own Righteousness.
He dressed in Righteousness, put it on like a suit of armor,
    with Salvation on his head like a helmet,
Put on Judgment like an overcoat,
    and threw a cloak of Passion across his shoulders.
He’ll make everyone pay for what they’ve done:
    fury for his foes, just deserts for his enemies.
    Even the far-off islands will get paid off in full.
In the west they’ll fear the name of God,
    in the east they’ll fear the glory of God,
For he’ll arrive like a river in flood stage,
    whipped to a torrent by the wind of God. 

For Reflection

Who are the "we" who are  looking for justice and salvation?  Who are those who mock and deny God?  How does the writer suggest that God should deal with the injustices He sees? How does God deal with injustice?

The righteous look for justice.  The unrighteous wallow in their Godlessness.  God gave the righteous the power and support to defeat injustices.  God gave the righteous the confidence to challenge the common place.  The unrighteous will one day look into the eyes of the righteous and they will know that they have been defeated. 

Pray

that you will join the ranks of the righteous, fulfilling God's plan for your life, seeing injustices, hoping for a just world, willing to sacrifice yourself for a just cause.  Pray that the unrighteous will look into your eyes and know they are uncovered, exposed and defeated.

The God of Hope

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Living with Hope

Romans 15:7-13

The Message

^7-13 So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Jesus, staying true to God’s purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. Just think of all the Scriptures that will come true in what we do! For instance:

Then I’ll join outsiders in a hymn-sing;
I’ll sing to your name!

And this one:

Outsiders and insiders, rejoice together!

And again:

People of all nations, celebrate God!
All colors and races, give hearty praise!

And Isaiah’s word:

There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse,
    breaking through the earth and growing tree tall,
Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope! 

For Reflection

Reach out to witness to the living God.  Reach out in ways that others can not help but notice the Spirit of God which is at the very core of your being.  Reach out! 

Pray

that you will live in hope of the realization of God's Kingdom.  Pray that you will be inspired and comforted by the hope that drives your life.  Pray that you will see and respond differently than others who follow contemporary culturally derived rules.  Pray that you will hope that God's will be done.

Hoping against Hope

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Living with Hope

Romans 4:16-25

The Message

¹⁶ This is why the fulfillment of God’s promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God’s promise arrives as pure gift. That’s the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial father—that’s reading the story backward. He is our faith father.
^17-18 We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn’t that what we’ve always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, “I set you up as father of many peoples”? Abraham was first named “father” and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, “You’re going to have a big family, Abraham!”
^19-25 Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God. 

For Reflection

"I can't do that!"  "It can't be done!"  "They will fire me if I don't comply!"  "People will think I'm crazy!"

Believe that all things are possible with God.  Act on that belief.  Embrace what the faithless call hopeless and trust God to make it right.  Hope in the face of hopelessness -- radical! 

Pray

for those who are hopeless.  Pray that you will find a way to bring hope to all that you encounter.  Pray and hope for peace, justice and the fulfillment of God's promise.

Seizing the Hope Set before us

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Living with Hope

Hebrews 6:13-20

The Message

God Gave His Word

^13-18 When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!” Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.

^18-20 We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek. 

For Reflection

What do you hope for?  A deer hopes for water and travels to find it.   Martin Luther King had a strong hope for equality among blacks and whites and worked to that end.  How about you?  What do you hope for so strongly that you are willing to sacrifice to get it? 

Pray

that your hopes are consistent with God's call for your life.  Pray that God's hope for you will be fulfilled in your hope for the realization of His Kingdom.  Pray that you will have the courage to follow God' hope for you.

Waiting in Hope

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Living with Hope

Psalm 38:9-16

The Message

^9-16 Lord, my longings are sitting in plain sight,

    my groans an old story to you.
My heart’s about to break;
    I’m a burned-out case.
Cataracts blind me to God and good;
    old friends avoid me like the plague.
My cousins never visit,
    my neighbors stab me in the back.
My competitors blacken my name,
    devoutly they pray for my ruin.
But I’m deaf and mute to it all,
    ears shut, mouth shut.
I don’t hear a word they say,
    don’t speak a word in response.
What I do, God, is wait for you,
    wait for my Lord, my God—you will answer!
I wait and pray so they won’t laugh me off,
    won’t smugly strut off when I stumble. 

For Reflection

Hope is not empty.  Hope drives the fulfillment of God's promise.  Without hope, the faithful cannot act.

When the faithful wait and listen for God's call and act on it, the common cultural response may be ridicule.  Expect that you will not necessarily be held in high esteem by others for your counter culture responses to life.  Expect, rather to suffer for your stand and wait in hope for God's resolution.  God has called us not to be conformed to this world but to have the will and the courage to witness to a better way, the way of Christ. 

Pray

Pray for the wisdom to know the difference between God's way and and the way of the common culture.  Pray for courage to stand on the side of justice in the face of injustice.  Pray for the courage to stand on the side of peace in the face of chaos.  Pray to stand on the side of selflessness in the face of greed.  Pray to stand beside God.

The Hopeless Human Situation

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Living with Hope

Isaiah 59:9-19

The Message

^9-11 Which means that we’re a far cry from fair dealing,
    and we’re not even close to right living.
We long for light but sink into darkness,
    long for brightness but stumble through the night.
Like the blind, we inch along a wall,
    groping eyeless in the dark.
We shuffle our way in broad daylight,
    like the dead, but somehow walking.
We’re no better off than bears, groaning,
    and no worse off than doves, moaning.
We look for justice—not a sign of it;
    for salvation—not so much as a hint.

^12-15 Our wrongdoings pile up before you, God,
    our sins stand up and accuse us.
Our wrongdoings stare us down;
    we know in detail what we’ve done:
Mocking and denying God,
    not following our God,
Spreading false rumors, inciting sedition,
    pregnant with lies, muttering malice.
Justice is beaten back,
    Righteousness is banished to the sidelines,
Truth staggers down the street,
    Honesty is nowhere to be found,
Good is missing in action.
    Anyone renouncing evil is beaten and robbed.

^15-19 God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon—
    so much evil and no sign of Justice.
He couldn’t believe what he saw:
    not a soul around to correct this awful situation.
So he did it himself, took on the work of Salvation,
    fueled by his own Righteousness.
He dressed in Righteousness, put it on like a suit of armor,
    with Salvation on his head like a helmet,
Put on Judgment like an overcoat,
    and threw a cloak of Passion across his shoulders.
He’ll make everyone pay for what they’ve done:
    fury for his foes, just deserts for his enemies.
    Even the far-off islands will get paid off in full.
In the west they’ll fear the name of God,
    in the east they’ll fear the glory of God,
For he’ll arrive like a river in flood stage,
    whipped to a torrent by the wind of God. 

For Reflection

Verses nine to fifteen just about sum up how I feel this week.  Gloom and Doom, Agony and Despair are lurking in every corner.  It is difficult to sustain hope in face of ever-present media postings of shootings, vile acts of violence, abuse of the dominant rule over the suffering publics, greed and selfishness at the expense of all others, wars and police action rationalized in religious fervor.  When will it end?  Is the human condition hopeless?

God looks and sees evil and injustice.  What has God done?

God has sacrificed his son so that we might know the way out.  God has given Jesus as our advocate.  God has sent the Holy Spirit to guide us in our calling to be obedient citizens and His agents of change.  Can we change it all?  Not all and perhaps not in our life times, but, in God's time His Kingdom will come to pass.

So what are we, the faithful, waiting for?  God has raised Christ as proof of his everlasting desire that we, also, should be raised into his service.  Pray as you have never prayed before.  Study the scriptures and expect to see the works of the Living God.  Become aware of God's presence. Let the grace of God work through you.  Participate fully in the fellowship of the believers.  Be ready to sacrifice yourself to the counter culture that is God. 

Pray

that you will never lose hope.  Pray that you will be used in the fulfillment of God's mission for you.   Pray that you will look for God's work and see his hand in all things good. Pray that you will be eternally hopeful.

The Promise Recieved

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Holy Spirit Comes

Acts 2:29-36

The Message

^29-36 “Dear friends, let me be completely frank with you. Our ancestor David is dead and buried—his tomb is in plain sight today. But being also a prophet and knowing that God had solemnly sworn that a descendant of his would rule his kingdom, seeing far ahead, he talked of the resurrection of the Messiah—‘no trip to Hades, no stench of death.’ This Jesus, God raised up. And every one of us here is a witness to it. Then, raised to the heights at the right hand of God and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out the Spirit he had just received. That is what you see and hear. For David himself did not ascend to heaven, but he did say,

God said to my Master, “Sit at my right hand
Until I make your enemies a stool for resting your feet.”

“All Israel, then, know this: There’s no longer room for doubt—God made him Master and Messiah, this Jesus whom you killed on a cross.”

 

 

For Reflection

The Messiah, confirmed, as prophesied. We are emboldened by God's faithfulness, His sacrifice, and His power. We are strengthened by the Holy Spirit. We are charged to participate in the ushering in of God's promise. We witness to the resurrection.

 

Pray

in gratitude for the gift of Jesus Christ. Pray that you will participate fully in God's plan to advance His kingdom. Pray that all peoples will live lives of obedience to the one God.

The Promise of the Spirit

Acts 2:14-21

The Message

Peter Speaks Up

^14-21 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:

“In the Last Days,” God says,
“I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
I’ll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women both,
and they’ll prophesy.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below,
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Day of the Lord arrives,
the Day tremendous and marvelous;
And whoever calls out for help
to me, God, will be saved.”

 

For Reflection

God is the god of all people; seriously, ALL people. The Spirit of God moves and all people, those you are drawn to and those that you aren't. It is like looking at the world from space. There are no political boundaries. It is indeed one planet and one people.

 

Pray

that you will see all people as God sees them. Pray that you will invite God to guide your interaction with others. Pray that all people will find the joy that comes from a right relationship with God.

The Coming of the Advocate

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Holy Spirit Comes

John 16:1-11

The Message

16 ^1-4 “I’ve told you these things to prepare you for rough times ahead. They are going to throw you out of the meeting places. There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he’s doing God a favor. They will do these things because they never really understood the Father. I’ve told you these things so that when the time comes and they start in on you, you’ll be well-warned and ready for them.

The Friend Will Come

^4-7 “I didn’t tell you this earlier because I was with you every day. But now I am on my way to the One who sent me. Not one of you has asked, ‘Where are you going?’ Instead, the longer I’ve talked, the sadder you’ve become. So let me say it again, this truth: It’s better for you that I leave. If I don’t leave, the Friend won’t come. But if I go, I’ll send him to you.

^8-11 “When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.

For Reflection

Jesus left this world so that his death could fulfill the prophecies. Jesus died so that He could become the divine advocate for human kind. Know that you have a strong friend at the right hand of God. Jesus will speak for you. The Spirit will guide you. You will be comforted during the trials of human existence.

 

Pray

that your faith in God will carry you away from the greatest sin, separation from God. Pray that you accept the death of Christ as the fulfillment of God's intention for our salvation. Give thanks for the abiding grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Abide in Me

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Holy Spirit Comes

John 15:1-8

The Message

The Vine and the Branches

15 ^1-3 “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.

⁴ “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
^5-8 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. 

For Reflection

Pruned by the Word, we all are prepared for obedient service to God.  Apart from God in Christ, we are helpless, wandering in the brambles of human affairs.  Maturing as disciples, we act in accord with God's law and intentions for our lives. 

Pray

that you will in all things abide with Christ.  Pray that you will be a beacon of peace to all who surround you.  Pray that those whose lives you touch will be touched by the hand of God and find in Him the peace that only He can give.

I Will Not Leave You Orphaned

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Holy Spirit Comes

John 14:18-24

The Message

^18-20 “I will not leave you orphaned. I’m coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you’re going to see me because I am alive and you’re about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I’m in my Father, and you’re in me, and I’m in you.
²¹ “The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.”
²² Judas (not Iscariot) said, “Master, why is it that you are about to make yourself plain to us but not to the world?”
^23-24 “Because a loveless world,” said Jesus, “is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we’ll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn’t mine. It’s the message of the Father who sent me.

 

For Reflection

Where have you seen Jesus?  One, lonely in a crowded room?  In the eyes of a child orphaned by war or neglect?  In a church full of people unwilling to show their scars?  In a mirror when doubt creeps behind weary eyes?

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving for the Christ who suffered as we suffer, died in pain as we die, and rose from death to bring us to the truth that is God.  Pray for those who have not opened themselves to the peace that surpasses understanding.  Pray that you will be alert to the presence of Christ around you.

Simon Peter Called to Follow

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Lord Appears

John 21:15-19

The Message

Do You Love Me?

¹⁵ After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
¹⁶ He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.”
^17-19 Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”

For Reflection

Jesus knew how to make Peter sweat. Can you imagine the hush that must have followed Christ's first question to Peter?  Having to answer the question three times must have shaken Peter to the core. Jesus does not rebuke Peter. Rather He asks Peter to confirm his love and commitment to Christ. Jesus hints at the suffering Peter will endure as a servant of Christ and offers Peter the highest form of reconciliation for his sin.

This is also our offer, to suffer in the name of Christ and be glorified for it.

 

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of the Holy Spirit that resides within you. Pray for the courage to suffer for the Kingdom of God. Pray for all who suffer in the name of Jesus so that the Kingdom of God may be realized.

The Appearance to Seven Disciples

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Lord Appears

John 21:1-9

The Message

Fishing

21 ^1-3 After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, “I’m going fishing.”

^3-4 The rest of them replied, “We’re going with you.” They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him.
⁵ Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?”
They answered, “No.”
⁶ He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.”
They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in.
^7-9 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!”

For Reflection

Without Christ, we fish without catching. Without Christ, our efforts at joy are fruitless. Without Christ, we drift in disappointment. Without Christ we always cast in the wrong direction. When we realize joy we find Christ at the center of that joy.

 

Pray

for the only thing that matters in life. Pray for a life in companionship with Christ. Pray for joy.

The Appearance to Thomas

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Lord Appears

John 20:24-29

The Message

^24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”
But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”
²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”
²⁷ Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”
²⁸ Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”
²⁹ Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”

 

For Reflection

Thomas, like many of us, need proof before we act. The need for empirical evidence is perhaps, more profoundly influential in our contemporary societies because it is the preferred method of proofs in science and law and many other areas. And yet the factual truth of empirical proofs are constantly argued. I medical research the confusion is sometimes madding because of conflicting evidence. Evidenced or not belief is not always dependent on facts. Many times belief precedes evidence. Ho much proof do you need to believe in the good news?

 

Pray

that you find grace in spite of your need for hard evidence. Pray that you will see God because you believe first.

The Appearance to Mary Magdalene

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Lord Appears

John 20:11-18The Message

11-13 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”
13-14 “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.
15 Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”
She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”
16 Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”
17 Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

For Reflection

Mary had a true love of Christ that kept her adhering to his memory. She did not desert Him in death. Perhaps, even if Christ had not risen, Mary would have been loyal to her transformation in knowledge of Christ. Mary knew the meaning of salvation in Jesus. How does salvation play out in your life?

 

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving for the risen Lord. Pray in gratitude for the promise salvation. Pray for the courage to follow the way of salvation

Appearances of the Risen Lord

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
The Lord Appears

1 Corinthians 15:1-9

The Message

Resurrection

15 ^1-2 Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time— this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I’m assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you’re in this for good and holding fast.)

^3-9 The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me. It was fitting that I bring up the rear. I don’t deserve to be included in that inner circle, as you well know, having spent all those early years trying my best to stamp God’s church right out of existence.

 

For Reflection

This is one of Paul's major pillars of belief. He offers as proof the names of those (including himself) who can attest to the resurrection. Paul's argument loses the power of living witnesses to the resurrection in our present time. It is now one of the mysteries one has to find his or her own proofs to support belief.

 

Last Sunday, Easter, many testified as witness to the resurrection. They told stories of the living Christ in their lives. Their conviction was as powerful as Paul's. Look for evidence of the living God in your life and act on it.

 

Pray

that you will be alert for the resurrected Christ in your life.  Pray that others will see the hand of god through Jesus in their lives. Give credit to the living God for what is right in your life